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With Compliments of 



MAJOK WILLIAM P. SHKEVE3 




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Compiled from the Original Records 

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WILLIAM P. SHREVi: 

TREASURER 
1885 I9IO 






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THE STORY OF THE THIRD 
ARMY CORPS UNION 



Compiled from the Original Records 

By 

WILLIAM P. SHREVE 

TREASURER 
1885 I9IO 



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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 

1910 



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EDWARD LIVINGSTON WELLING 



' You filled up the gaps in our files, 
Strengthened the wavering line, 
'Stablished, continued our march." 



HOOPER PRINTING COMPANY 
74 INDIA ST., BOSTON 



TOLD BY THE SECRETARY. 



THE life of the Third Army Corps Union 
is nearing fifty years and in all human prob- 
ability it will not be many more before the 
last Veteran comrade will celebrate the anniver- 
sary alone. It will, therefore, be interesting to 
recall the story of the organization and the forty- 
five reunions that have been held while yet there 
are a goodly number who remember them with 
thankful enthusiasm. 

To whom first came the idea of forming a 
society that should be of mutual benefit to its 
members under the conditions imposed by the war 
in which we were engaged, nowhere appears in the 
record, but we know that on the second of Sep- 
tember, 1863, the following named officers met at 
the Head Quarters of the First Division of the 
Third Army Corps, at Sulphur Springs, Warren- 
ton, Virginia. If other than a verbal invitation 
was issued, we do not know, but it is fair to assume 
that the initiative may be accorded to Major 
General David Bell Birney, who commanded the 
Division. He was chosen to preside at the first 
meeting and Colonel William R. Brewster, who 
commanded the Second Brigade, Second Division, 
was the Secretary. The others present were Bri- 
gadier General James B. Carr, First Brigade, 
Second Division; Brigadier General Gershom 
Mott, Third Brigade, Second Division; Colonel 

[ 1 ] 



C. H. T. Collis (One hundred and fourteenth 
Pennsylvania) commanding the First Brigade, 
First Division; Colonel L. D. Carver (Fourth 
Maine) commanding the Second and Colonel 
Regis De Trobriand (Fifty-fifth New York) com- 
manding the Third. Although Colonel Carver 
was prominent during the first three months of the 
life of the Union his name does not appear on the 
roster probably for reasons that will appear later. 
He was mustered out of the service on the sixteenth 
oi December, 1863, for disability. 

After the preliminary matters were done with, 
General Carr ofi^ered this resolution: "That an 
organization be formed of which all the officers of 
the old Third Corps shall be the members." 
"That a committee of three, to which shall be 
added the President, be appointed to draft by- 
laws, constitution, etc., and report on the sixth 
inst." On this committee were appointed Gen- 
erals Carr and Mott. 

The following was voted and the first meeting 
adjourned to September sixth. "Resolved, That 
the commandants of Regiments in the First and 
Second Divisions be invited to meet with us at 
our next meeting. Resolved, That this organiza- 
tion be known as the Third Corps Union." 

It will not escape the notice of many that the 
first resolution adopted by this group of officers 
spoke of the "Old Third Corps" and that in a 
following one the officers of the First and Second 
Divisions only are named. This while not in- 
tended to reflect in any way upon the men of the 
Third Division, but simply to confine the member- 
ship of the Union to those who had belonged to 

[ 2 ] 



the Third Corps, "As we understand it," the corps 
as it was up to the battle of Gettysburg, neverthe- 
less is said to have given offence to General French, 
who was at that time commander of the Corps, 
much to the disgust of the men who wore the red 
and white diamonds. It was at this time that he 
issued the wonderful order that created no little 
amusement and did not help to raise him in the 
estimation of those he intended to score. It will 
not be out of place if reproduced here. 

"The General now commanding the Corps of 
Hooker, Sickles, Berry and as his dear friend 
dares to raise the shroud of the chivalric Kearny, 
needs nothing further to convince the brave and 
intelligent soldiers of the Corps that the efforts for 
preference over the reputation of brother soldiers, 
no matter what state or what army may claim 
them, when they have proved true and faithful to 
our Union and to the glorious flag, ought and must 
be admitted to the position to which by their 
bravery they are entitled." 

Nevertheless General French became a member 
of the Union wearing the badge numbered eighteen. 

At the second meeting, September sixth, there 
were present thirty-six officers. Among the names 
of those mentioned many are familiar to us today, 
as, for example, Egan, Sides, Craig, Stoughton 
and Danks. The permanent organization was 
effected by the election of the following officers. 
For President, General Daniel E. Sickles. Vice- 
President, General David B. Birney. Secretary, 
Captain James C. Briscoe. Corresponding Secre- 
tary, Major H. Edwin Tremain. Treasurer, Gen- 
eral Gershom Mott. 



The Constitution was adopted, providing for 
the usual exigencies of an association and fixing 
upon the fifth day of May in each year for the 
Annual meeting. The distinctive feature of the 
order, that does not appear in our constitution 
today, was the following declaration. "The ob- 
ject of this association is a benevolent one, to 
see that the remains of any of the members who 
shall die in the service are properly interred, also 
should the family of any member dying in service, 
or taken prisoner, be in need, it shall be aided 
from the funds." 

Provision was made for "preparing a suit- 
able badge," with the declaration that "All offi- 
cers who have participated meritoriously in any 
of the battles in which the Third Corps has been 
engaged shall be eligible to membership". This 
was found, before the constitution was printed to 
be a little too broad and the following was substi- 
tuted: "All officers who have belonged to the 
Third Army Corps and shall have participated 
in any of its battles, shall be eligible to member- 
ship." 

A Board of Directors was elected to serve until 
the time of the Annual meeting, as follows. Gen- 
erals Carr, Mott, Graham, Ward and Colonels 
Brewster and De Trobriand, and Captain Ran- 
dolph of the Artillery Brigade. 

The President was directed to select a com- 
mittee of thirteen to draft by-laws for the govern- 
ment of the association, the same to be submitted 
at the next meeting. Of that committee not one 
is living today and four of the names do not appear 
on the roster. Colonels Tippen, Carver, Meriam 

[ 4 ] 



(Sixteenth Massachusetts, killed at the North 
Anna, May twenty-third) and the quartermaster 
of the Eleventh Massachusetts, George Forrest. 

At a meeting of the twenty-seventh of Septem- 
ber, the committee reported a set of By-Laws 
that were adopted and with the constitution there 
was ordered printed one thousand copies. The 
fee for initiation was fixed at ten dollars and the 
dues at six. There was one by-law providing 
for a Court Martial of any member against whom 
charges shall be made. 

At the meeting on the thirtieth of September 
members were elected to the number of seventy- 
five, twelve of whom were officers of the Division 
and Brigade staff. The others were distributed 
as follows among the regiments of the Corps. 
Berdan Sharp Shooters, seventeen. Ninety-ninth 
Pennsylvania, fifteen. Third Maine, ten. Fourth 
Maine, five. One hundred and twenty-fourth 
New York, eight. Eighty-sixth, New York, eight. 

A design was submitted by the committee on 
badges and was rejected, the committee being in- 
structed to procure another. At the following 
meeting, October fifth, provision was made for a 
certificate of membership. 

A week later the army was making its way 
back to Centerville, and the next meeting is re- 
corded as at Headquarters, Licking Creek, Novem- 
ber fifth. Much more business than usual was 
transacted, or it may have been, which is more 
probable, that the report was more in detail. The 
design of the badge was decided upon, the com- 
mittee on certificate was given permission to select 
the design, three hundred copies of the Army and 

[ 5 ] 



Navy Journal were ordered for distribution among 
the members, the Secretary was directed to ascer- 
tain from every member of the two divisions the 
names of the battles in which he had been engaged 
and that, with every application for membership, 
some one battle with the Corps be named. Gen- 
eral Gilbert Marston, at Point Lookout, Va,, was 
to be notified that his name will be inserted in the 
list of Brigadiers promoted from the Corps. 

Before the next meeting the Mine Run cam- 
paign had been accomplished. December fifth the 
name of General Henry Prince appears as the pre- 
siding officer. Two vacancies in the Board were 
announced caused by the muster out of Colonel De 
Trobriand and the transfer of General Graham 
from the Department. These vacancies were filled 
by the election of Colonel Byron R. Pierce, Third 
Michigan, and Colonel J. H. Madill, One hundred 
and forty-first Pennsylvania. Eighteen new mem- 
bers were elected and for the first time the death 
of a member was mentioned. "Colonel Brewster 
announced that he had made arrangements for the 
removal of the body of Captain McDonough, of 
the Third Excelsior, (Seventy-second New York) 
killed at Locust Grove, November twenty-seventh, 
and asked that the bill be presented to the Treas- 
urer." Colonel Brewster also moved, "That the 
authorized embalmers for the Union be Brown 
and Alexander of Washington." Although the 
name of Captain McDonough is the first to appear 
in the report of the Secretary as killed in battle, 
we shall find in the report of the Treasurer that 
a benefit was paid in behalf of Colonel Trepp one 
day earlier. 



At this point in the record there are some score 
of blank pages left, as if there was some matter 
that was expected to be written in. As Colonel 
Briscoe steps down and out as the Secretary, it 
would seem as if room was intended for the names 
of the members that had been elected since the 
meeting of December, for from the evidence of 
the Treasurer's books there must have been three 
hundred and forty-seven members enrolled up to 
December first, 1863. 

At the meeting of January fifth, 1864, the 
resignation of Captain Briscoe was accepted, as 
Recording Secretary, and J. Theodore Calhoun, 
the Surgeon in Chief, was elected to the vacancy. 
This ended an episode of which little was prob- 
ably known outside of the Board of Directors, the 
particulars of which if told, would account for 
many errors and omissions in the records. At 
this meeting the records of the former one were 
not to be found and there is evidently an attempt 
to make amends for the failure by doing over 
again some of the work of the past. Members 
were elected. Captain A. Judson Clark was chosen 
a member of the Board, in place of Captain Ran- 
dolph, the Treasurer was authorized to pay two 
hundred dollars each to Mrs. Trepp and Mrs. 
McDonough and the bill of the Army and Navy 
Journal for thirty dollars. The quarterly report 
of the Treasurer is mentioned as read, but not 
incorporated in the record. 

At the meeting of February fifth, 1864, members 
were elected, a mass of routine business transacted 
and a disposition shown to tinker the by-laws, 
the same as has been in evidence ever since, 

[ 7 ] 



cropping out at every meeting up to 1906. A 
committee was appointed to collect for preservation 
in the archives of the Union, a history of Regi- 
ments, Batteries, Brigades and Divisions of the 
Corps. The approach of more active business, 
the making of history instead of the recording of 
it, prevented this committee from ever making a 
report. The Secretary was directed to call upon 
Captain Briscoe for a list of members and all pa- 
pers relating to the association. 

Just previous to this meeting the first lot of 
badges were received, but the certificates of mem- 
bership were not ready, although the Treasurer 
offered a bill that he had received, requesting an 
advance of two hundred dollars for them, which 
he was ordered to pay. 

At the meeting of March fifth, the name of 
M. F. Webb, Additional Paymaster, was proposed 
for membership and after much discussion the 
result of which was two in his favor, he was 
rejected. 

A meeting on the fifteenth of March received 
the report of the committee on the revision of 
the by-laws and accepted it, but what was the 
nature of the report the records do not show, 
owing probably to the absence of the Secretary, 
in whose absence Captain Clark acted pro tem. 
Among the names offered as new members is that 
of General Charles K. Graham, which would sug- 
gest an attempt to correct the records, as he was 
one of the first directors. General French was 
also elected, but how his eligibility was shown is 
not stated, probably derived from the battle of 
Wapping Heights. An order was given to print 

[ 8 ] 



one thousand copies of the constitution and by- 
laws. If this and the former order was carried 
out, it would be curious to know what became of 
all of them. 

At the meeting of April seventeenth, 1864, the 
question of the eligibility of Paymasters to mem- 
bership was again introduced and after more 
debate Majors McBlair, Johnson and Webb were 
elected. 

General Birney read a letter that he had re- 
ceived from E. R. Tremain of New York, as 
treasurer of a fund contributed by the Stock Ex- 
change members for the relief of the sick and 
wounded of the Third Corps. No mention is made 
of the acceptance of the money, of the amount 
given nor of what disposition was made of it. The 
records of the Treasurer do not disclose that he 
had the disposition of it. The genesis of this fund 
if not indeed the genesis of the Third Army Corps 
Union itself, is explained by a letter written by 
Mr. Tremain to his son, dated July nineteen, 1863, 
which he has permitted to be printed in connection 
with this story at the end of this chapter. From 
that it will be seen that the movement may be 
traced back into the thought of our wounded 
General, who while on his back and receiving every 
care possible, sent a contribution to help his 
wounded soldiers. 

General Ward and Colonel Brewster were ap- 
pointed to make arrangements for the annual 
meeting, on the fifth of May, which would indi- 
cate that no immediate movement of the army 
was anticipated. This committee reported on the 
twenty-fourth but no hint of it is spread on the 

[ 9 ] 



record other than that the Secretary is directed " to 
send to each Brigade director a copy of such part 
of the report as does not conflict with the consti- 
tution." The treasurer was directed to keep ten 
badges of the Union on hand. 

Needless to say that the Annual Meeting of 
the Society did not come off, but the annual meet- 
ing of the Blue and the Gray was called in the 
place of it. As at Williamsburg and at Chancel- 
lorsville, so now in the Wilderness the Third 
Corps on the fifth of May, 1864, faced the enemy. 
No more, however, the Third in name, although 
the men still wore the diamond badge of red and 
white, for they were marching nominally under 
the trefoil of the Second Corps, into which they 
had been incorporated. If the trinity was really 
emphasized under the union of the trefoil with 
the diamond it has never been any solace to recall 
the occurrence. 

Now came the days when, if ever, the Union 
was to demonstrate its value by caring for its dead 
and wounded, and forge in the fierce heat of battle 
the bonds that bind the living to each other today. 

It was not until the investment of Petersburg 
that the next meeting was held, on the fourth of 
July. As usual it was at the headquarters of 
General Birney and an interesting feature of the 
meeting for us of later years is that it marked 
the first appearance of our incomparable Secre- 
tary, Colonel Edward Livingston Welling. Hence- 
forth the reports were not only complete but 
something more. Not dry detail only but alive 
with patriotic enthusiasm. 

The returns of the election for oflScers and 

[ 10 ] 



directors held this day, (so the record runs) were 
canvassed with the following result. President, 
General Daniel E. Sickles; Vice-President, General 
David Bell Birney; Recording Secretary, Surgeon 
J. Theodore Calhoun; Corresponding Secretary, 
Surgeon E. L. Welling; Directors, Generals Ger- 
shom Mott; Colonel Byron R. Pierce; and Robert 
McAllister. The last named was designated as 
"Division director" but what was the distinction 
is unknown today. 

The business that followed showed all too well 
the work in which we had been engaged two 
months. It is best to summarize it. Bills were 
approved for embalming the bodies of Captain 
James McDermott and John Phelan, both of the 
Seventy-third New York, and Captain LeFort of 
same regiment. Remittances were ordered sent to 
Mrs. LeFort, one hundred dollars; and Mrs. Mc- 
Dermott, fifty dollars; Mrs. Patrick Nolan, seventy- 
five dollars; Mrs. S. T. Sleeper (Eleventh New 
Jersey) one hundred dollars. The annual dues 
were reduced from five dollars to three dollars. 

August fifth, 1864. The business was chiefly 
the consideration of applications for relief of fami- 
lies, most of which were laid over for investigation. 
One hundred dollars was ordered paid to Mrs. 
William C. Meriam and Mrs. George Harvey 
(Third, Maine). 

The present owners of certificates of membership 
will be surprised to learn their mercantile value 
from the bill of Hatch & Co., presented and laid 
on the table, for four hundred and thirty-seven 
dollars, not including two hundred paid previously. 
This and subsequent meetings were at the head- 

r 11 1 



quarters of General Mott, owing to the assignment 
of General Birney to the command of the Tenth 
Corps Army of the James. 

September fifteenth the meeting was marked by 
the return of General De Trobriand who was 
elected a director, having been assigned to com- 
mand the First Brigade. (It will be remembered 
that since the second week of May the two divi- 
sions had been one, being consolidated because 
of losses). Application was made for admission 
to membership of officers of the Ninety-third, 
New York, that had been lately sent to the divi- 
sion, but the request was refused as violation 
of the constitution. Another evidence of the 
imperfection of the roster was evidenced from the 
vote to recognize the membership of Surgeon Or- 
pheus Evarts, of the Twentieth Indiana, "he hav- 
ing paid the initiation fee, but by some oversight 
his name does not appear in the list of members." 

September thirteenth. The meeting was pre- 
sided over by General Birney, his corps being in 
the Petersburg trenches. Colonel Brewster of- 
fered for membership the name of Colonel (Major) 
Julius Hayden, Tenth U. S. Infantry, serving on 
the former Third Corps staff as Commissary of 
Musters. As his name is not on our roster he 
probably failed to accept the honor. So many 
bills for embalming were approved that it would 
be encroaching upon space to enumerate them 
here. The vote passed at a former meeting, re- 
fusing membership to officers of regiments that 
had joined the division since the Corps was discon- 
tinued in May, was reconsidered, rescinded and 
Captain Walter W. Braman and Lieutenant 

[ 12 ] 



Simon D. Newcomb of the Ninety-third New 
York were elected members. 

October twenty-second. The record of this 
meeting is a repetition of mortuary statistics that 
are in the main Hke those of the former meetings 
and Hke those that follow, until the Army was 
disbanded. 

In this way only are the deaths of members per- 
petuated in the records, it being manifest that no 
resolutions could be written, under such circum- 
stances. Two officers, however, were mentioned 
on this day whom all will remember. Colonel 
Calvin A. Craig, One hundred and fifth Penn- 
sylvania, killed on the sixteenth of August, and 
Lieutenant Colonel George W. Meikel, Twentieth 
Indiana, killed on the twentieth of August, men 
who had both become noted in the now small 
division for their efficiency and courage. Surgeon 
Calhoun resigned and Colonel Welling was elected 
to the vacant office, his being filled by Captain 
Edwin B. Houghton of the Seventeenth Maine. 

The death of General Birney was announced, 
he having died on the eighteenth, in his home at 
Philadelphia, whither he had gone on the tenth. 
A committee was named to prepare resolutions 
upon his death, the first of the kind in the records 
of the Union and it will be quite in keeping to give 
them here, in their order, as they are spread in 
full upon the records. The committee was De 
Trobriand, Pierce and Brewster. This is the last 
time Colonel Brewster is mentioned. He was 
mustered out soon after, his term of service having 
expired, as Brevet Brigadier. 

A large number of members mostly from the 

[ 13 ] 



new regiments, were elected after the passage of 
the following: — "That, in consideration that this 
Division was permitted, after the Old Third Corps 
was temporarily broken up, to retain its badge and 
its flag, and in consideration of the severe engage- 
ments of the late eventful campaign, in which we 
have fought as a division, and in further consid- 
eration of the bravery which the above regiments 
have evinced, fighting side by side with the veter- 
ans of the Third Corps, we do consider them as 
members of the Old Third Corps and as entitled 
to the privileges of the society." 

On motion of General Pierce, General Mott 
was elected as Vice President to fill the vacancy 
made by the death of General Birney. 

November fifth. General De Trobriand for the 
committee reported the following resolutions: — 

"Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to 
bring to an end the earthly career of Major Gen- 
eral David Bell Birney, who died in Philadelphia 
on the eighteenth of October, 1864, from disease 
contracted during the hardships and privations of 
more than three years campaign in the field, and 

"Whereas, During all that period the noble 
and faithful service of said General Birney is 
closely identified with the glorious record of the 
Third Army Corps, either as Brigade or Division 
Commander, and 

"Whereas, All that the casualties of war and 
insalubrities of climate have left under arms of the 
Third Army Corps is now included in this the 
Third Division of the Second Corps, fairly and 
fully represented by the association known as the 

[ 14 ] 



Third Corps Union, of which General Birney was 
the Vice President, therefore, 

"Resolved, That in the death of General 
Birney we sorrowfully deplore the loss of a thorough 
patriotic citizen and accomplished gentleman, as 
well as of a most gallant soldier and highly effi- 
cient Commander. 

"Resolved, That his upright character, his 
noble spirit, his indomitable energy, in the line of 
duty and his self sacrificing to the sacred cause of 
the Union, entitle him to the grateful memory of 
the country for which he gave up home, family, 
fortune and life. 

"Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with 
the grief of his bereaved family, the welfare of 
which will remain always a matter of great con- 
cern among us. 

"Resolved, That a copy of the above reso- 
lutions be forwarded to Mrs. General Birney as 
a true expression of the feeling of the officers and 
men of this command." 

A letter was read from Captain Charles H. 
Graves, who accompanied the General to Phila- 
delphia, but it was not incorporated in the report. 

November nineteenth, 1864, there was a meet- 
ing at the "Jones House". After the routine 
business, already too fully dwelt upon perhaps, 
the following resolution was voted. "That we 
regard with favor the proposition of Surgeon 
Orpheus Evarts, Twentieth Indiana Veteran Vol- 
unteers, Surgeon in Chief of the Third Division, 
to prepare and publish a complete history of the 
Third Corps in such manner and style as his judg- 

[ 15 ] 



ment may dictate, and we hereby extend to him 
the auspices of the Third Corps Union in this 
contemplated work, and request that members of 
the Union and other officers of the Third Corps 
will assist him in procuring the necessary data 
so far as they have it in their power to do." 
The Secretary was instructed to promulgate to the 
officers of the Ninety-third New York, First Maine 
and First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery the reso- 
lution passed by the Board relative to their eligi- 
bility for membership in the Union. 

Meeting of December fifth, 1864, at Head- 
quarters Poplar Springs Church. 

On January fifth, 1865, presumably at the same 
place. Among the various applications made and 
considered at every meeting, most of which after 
investigation were denied, there was one at this 
meeting unique in its character. It was from 
Chaplain Moore, asking aid for the family of Col- 
onel Van Lear of the Sixth New Jersey, who was 
killed at the battle of Williamsburg. Needless to 
say that it was declined and although this was an 
extreme instance, there were many made that had 
as little claim on the funds of the Union. As a 
pendant to this there was appropriated at the 
same meeting the sum of two hundred dollars to 
the widow of Colonel M. B. Stafford, Eighty-sixth 
New York. 

There is no record of a February meeting but 
there was one in March. No business of note was 
transacted. 

The meeting of April twentieth was following 
the surrender at Appomattox. One might be ex- 
pected to look to this record for some sign of or 

[ 16 1 



allusion to the prospective disbanding of the army, 
but there is not a syllable to suggest it. The only 
thing to attract the attention is the absence of 
General Mott from the meeting. We all know 
that he was again wounded at the fight at Farm- 
ville. General De Trobriand presided and Cap- 
tain A. Judson Clark was present for the first time 
since the campaign opened in May, 1864. Not- 
withstanding the absence of the Treasurer his 
annual report was read. 

At a meeting held on the twenty-seventh of May 
General Mott was again in the chair. This was 
three days after the great review in Washington. 
At that time the Division was at or near Baileys 
Cross Roads, Va., having passed through Rich- 
mond on the sixth, through Fredericksburg on the 
tenth, and arriving at the Potomac, opposite 
Washington, on the seventeenth. 

What may rightly be called the last War meet- 
ing of the Directors of the Union was that of June 
third, 1865, although there was one held on the 
twenty-ninth at which nothing of moment tran- 
spired. 

At the first the canvass was made for the elec- 
tion of officers, in which all the old board was 
re-elected with one exception. That was to the 
office of Corresponding Secretary, which was as- 
signed to Colonel Charles P. Mattocks, Seventeenth 
Maine. The following emphasizes the occasion: — 
"The Secretary is instructed to carry with him 
to New Jersey the books, papers, certificates of 
membership, etc., of the Union, that the business 
be transacted there, in view of the disbandment 
of the army." 

[ 17 ] 



No one can read the foregoing reports without 
being impressed with a sense of the conscientious 
devotion that the officers of the Union gave to 
their work. We really gain but an imperfect idea 
of the amount of time given to it from what has 
here been told. If the letters and other papers 
had been preserved we should be amazed at their 
bulk and they would add an important contribu- 
tion to the history of the Corps. That they should 
have found time, from the pressing duties of the 
hour, to give to the details that we have seen 
attended to, even, we mav truthfully say, for a 
part of the time under fire, must ever be a matter 
of wonderment. It can scarcely be possible that 
any one of them ever gave a thought to the future 
of the society they created, or the work they were 
doing in its bearing on the future. If such a 
thought ever came it must have been dismissed 
with the conclusion that the end of the war would 
be the end of the "Third Army Corps Union." 
That it could be perpetuated and become to us 
what it has been in the last forty years could never 
have entered into their imagination. Therefore 
we owe them a debt of gratitude beyond that due 
them for their patriotic services, and we must 
ever recall their names at our meetings with a 
reverential thankfulness that can come only from 
the ties that bind those who have been "Tried in 
dangers many". 

One other thing that we must now regret has 
not been followed as persistently as they would 
have followed it had they lived, and that is the 
desire shown on more than one occasion to collect 
and preserve the records and history of the Third 

[ 18 ] 



Corps. It is certainly a matter of regret that the 
Corps, whose history is such a large part of the 
Army of the Potomac should have found no his- 
torian. We cannot but be thankful that General 
Walker in his able history of the Second Corps has 
done for us more than any other who has written 
of those memorable days that began in May 1864 
and ended with the surrender at Appomattox. 

Before attempting a summary of the meetings 
that have been held since the war it will be more 
in keeping with what has gone before, and will 
supplement and in a way explain it, if we let the 
first Treasurer of the Union tell his story. 



[ 19 ] 



LETTER OF E. R. TREMAIN. 



New York, July 19, 1863. 
My dear Son: 

On Friday, Major Purdy called on me, with a 
letter from Captain Fry, telling him to call on me 
and procure my aid in sending off supplies for the 
wounded of the Third Army Corps, in the battle of 
Gettysburg. He had a rough list of the articles 
particularly needed, such as lemons, oranges, fruits, 
tamarinds, jellies, etc. He also showed me a pen- 
cilled note from General Sickles to Jas. T. Brady 
saying that Major Purdy would explain a wish he 
had at heart, to aid his wounded heroes at Gettys- 
burg, and asking him to help him execute it. Brady 
being out of the city, the responsibility seemed to fall 
on me, of acting alone. Purdy also handed me the 
Paymaster's, McBlair's, check, to General Sickles' 
order, for |5ioo as the General's contribution. 

I took all the documents and yesterday at the 
regular meeting of the Public Stock Board (not 
the old Stock Exchange Board, but the new Public 
Board, of which I am a member) asked unanimous 
consent to suspend the rules for a few moments to 
allow me to present a statement in regard to the 
Army of the Potomac, which was granted. I 
secured the almost breathless silence for a short 
time, of this usually very boisterous and excited 

[ 20 ] 



body of stock brokers, while I made the simple 
statement, in a few words of appeal to their loyalty 
and humanity, and taking from my pocket a sub- 
scription list, and pointing to the General's check 
that I had pinned to the list, asked what we ought 
to do, when a General who had lost one leg in our 
defence sent from his pay one hundred dollars for 
this cause ? I promised, in the beginning not to 
consume more than five minutes of their time, and 
had their earnest and undivided attention for about 
that time, and asked "What will you do?" A 
shout went up, earnest and responsive, " Send them 
supplies" — "take the money" — "here's my pile" — 
"put me down for ^25"; "put me down for ^10", 
etc. In less than ten minutes I had collected $700. 
I have seen Adams Express who will see that a 
special car is sent right through. Tomorrow I 
will devote to aiding Purdy in procuring and dis- 
patching the supplies, and will act as Treasurer of 
the fund, to see that it is properly and judiciously 
expended. 

I have thus given the details because Purdy is not 
very clear in his explanation of what the General 
really desired, to make the effort more general and 
public, or rather private with a few personal 
friends. I think I have taken the most efficient 
mode and hope it will prove satisfactory in the end 
and be productive of benefit to the poor wounded 
heroes. 

Yours affectionately, 

(signed) E. R. Tremain. 



[ 21 ] 



TOLD BY THE TREASURER. 



The first entry on the book of the Treasurer is 
under the date of September twenty-seventh, 1863, 
and the amount sixty dollars, for initiation fees. 
Other entries rapidly followed until the fifth of 
May, 1864, when the receipts totaled, for admis- 
sions alone, thirty-eight hundred and seventy 
dollars. This would indicate that upon the day 
from which we date our annual meeting, three 
hundred and eighty-seven members had been en- 
rolled in the Union, In this the first year of our 
history there was one other very significant entry 
and that was the sum of six dollars and ninety 
cents for interest on a U. S. four per cent. bond. 
The question as to how best to keep the money 
that had accumulated in the hands of the Treas- 
urer seems to have been answered by the dictates 
of patriotism and the faith in the cause for which 
we were contending, and to have been shown by 
tendering this money, received from the Govern- 
ment, to the Government, to carry on the work 
that we were doing. This investment was the 
nucleus of the Permanent Fund that we hold to 
this day. 

The first benefit paid from this money was to 
Mrs. Colonel Casper Trepp on the death of her 
husband, the Lieutenant Colonel of Berdan's First 
Regiment of Sharp Shooters. He was killed at 

[ 22 ] 



Mine Run on the thirtieth of November, 1863. 
The next was to Mrs. McDonough, widow of Cap- 
tain H. J. McDonough, Seventy-second New York, 
killed at Locust Grove, November twenty-seventh. 
The third was to G. G. White whose name does 
not appear on the roster and may not represent 
the officer killed, but there is no clue to his identity. 

From May, 1864, to May, 1865, the receipts were 
twelve hundred and thirty-eight dollars and sev- 
enty-five cents. This came from dues, five hun- 
dred and fifty; new members, four hundred and 
eighty; interest, two hundred and eight dollars 
and seventy-five cents. This would indicate an 
increase in membership to four hundred and thirty- 
five. The entries on the other side of the ledger 
during this battle summer, autumn and winter, 
were a sad record of the killed and suggestion of 
want in their families. The total amount paid on 
account of the undertakers and to the widows was 
fourteen hundred and eighty-nine dollars. Seven 
families were aided with sums varying from fifty 
to two hundred dollars. The running expenses 
were trifling and the only item of consequence was 
that for certificates. The badge account is not 
included in this, being kept entirely in an account 
by itself. 

As a matter of interest it may be told here, that 
during the term of General Mott's treasurership 
he issued two hundred and twelve badges involv- 
ing the handling of fifty-two hundred and twenty- 
five dollars. 

The balance at the close of this year was twenty- 
two hundred and twenty-four dollars, including 
the amount invested. 

[ 23 ] 



By the end of the following year this amount 
had been increased by two hundred and twenty- 
four dollars, of which eighty-four was interest and 
the balance was from fourteen new memberships, 
bringing the total of members, living and deceased, 
to four hundred and fifty-nine. During this year 
one benefit was paid of sixty-two dollars, and two 
hundred and forty-five for the undertakers' bills. 
The last bill paid of this nature was for the em- 
balming of the body of Colonel Moore of the 
Ninety-ninth Pennsylvania, killed at Fort Fisher, 
January fifteenth, 1865. At that date he was the 
Colonel of the Two hundred and third Pennsyl- 
vania, of the Tenth Corps. 

On the fifth of May, 1866, there was a balance 
of twenty-one hundred and forty-one dollars, to 
which only the interest was added in the follow- 
ing year, so that after the payment of sundry ex- 
penses there remained but two thousand and 
ninety-five dollars. Of course no attempt was 
made to collect dues and probably the prevailing 
idea among the members was that the society 
would cease to exist and that its work was ended. 
It was no wonder that with the return of the men 
to their homes other subjects engrossed their 
minds and that the sentiment that created the 
Grand Army and the Loyal Legion had not sprung 
into life. 

The officers of the Union, however, were alive 
to their duties as in the more strenuous days, and 
in 1867 there was a call sent out for the annual 
meeting, which has ever since been attended with 
ever increasing enthusiasm, in many cities and 
towns, until the present time. 

1 24 1 



The monetary consideration at these first meet- 
ings was not of prime importance evidently, judg- 
ing by the small amounts that came to the hands 
of the Treasurer. A few new members were added 
and fewer dues collected, and the receipts were 
lumped by the Treasurer to whom the money was 
turned over by the Secretary in bulk. Hence, 
how much was collected for dues or for dinners 
is not apparent from any figures today. When the 
expenses exceeded the receipts the "hat was 
passed," for the idea of holding to what money had 
accumulated was strong in the minds of all as we 
shall see later. Needless to say that the mem- 
bers were not slow in making up any deficiencies 
and that other appeals were most generously re- 
sponded to. The largest bills in those first days 
were for advertising, save those of the caterer, 
who was Delmonico, or some other equally expen- 
sive host, for the best was none too good for those 
who had been limited in their bill of fare for four 
years. Scattered as the members were, it was 
necessary to advertise from Maine to Michigan 
in any paper that was likely to attract the attention, 
and it may indicate the condition of some of our 
number, or what was thought to be, that Jay Cook 
& Co., were among the recipients of the favor. 

Such items as " Paid Delmonico for inciden- 
tals four hundred and eighty-four dollars", "Draft 
on account of Boston meeting six hundred and ten 
dollars," (Boston always was an expensive place), 
"Astor House two hundred and eighty-nine dol- 
lars," "Guy's Hotel four hundred and four dollars," 
continue up to 1876 when a halt was called and the 
expenses of the meetings were intrusted to a com- 

[ 25 ] 



mittee and thereafter the Treasurer's account 
knew only dues and interest, with an occasional 
membership, or in later years a life membership. 

It was not until 1876 that the so-called Perma- 
nent Fund was created amounting to thirteen hun- 
dred and twenty-five dollars, and which when the 
present Treasurer succeeded General Mott had 
grown to fifteen hundred and forty-seven dollars 
in 1885. At the present day it amounts to one 
thousand dollars, being depleted by the meeting 
at Hadley in 1897. The Contingent Fund that 
was received by the present Treasurer amounted 
to eighteen dollars and a few cents. In that year 
thirty dollars was the only income outside the 
interest of the Permanent Fund. 

Then a systematic attempt was made to collect 
the annual dues and the duty was taken from the 
Secretary and laid upon the new Treasurer. This 
was a great relief to the former and no burden to 
the latter, for one now has very little idea of the 
amount of writing Colonel Welling did. He was 
a born letter-writer and nothing delighted him 
more than a letter from a comrade of the Corps 
to whom he could reply, and that was always 
readily and most entertainingly. 

The Treasurer managed to bring his yearly 
balance to the hundred dollar mark for several 
years, but it has been dwindling slowly until this 
year of 1909 when it has quite disappeared and 
permission was given to use the reserve, if neces- 
sary. 

There has been a large amount of money raised 
since the war that does not appear in the society's 
accounts. A very expensive badge was presented 

[ 26 ] 



to General J. Watts De Peyster, a watch and chain 
to Colonel Welling and a bronze medal to Major 
Willard Bullard. A monument was erected in 
Chelsea, Massachusetts, to the memory of Miss 
Helen Gilson, an Army nurse in the Third Corps 
Hospital, and one to Colonel Welling in Penning- 
ton, N. J. A life size portrait of General Hooker 
was presented to the town of Hadley and a bronze 
tablet placed on the house in the town in which 
he was born. It was the impulse of the Hadley 
meeting that made the erection of the statue of 
General Hooker in Boston possible, and although 
it was erected by an appropriation of the Com- 
monwealth, considerable sums were contributed 
by the members of the Union in pushing the 
movement to a successful end. 

It is not the figures that interest us in these 
matters and so they are best ignored. The satis- 
faction is found in the fact that when an object 
appealed to a comrade's sense of righteousness 
there was the ready response that will be made 
again if occasion arrives. 

And so, leaving the Treasurer's dry details, let 
us turn to the meetings that have been held since 
the war, hastily passing in the review the events 
that are most worthy of remembrance. 



[ 27 ] 



THE SEQUEL. 



Pursuant to a call published in the papers of 
New York, Boston and Trenton, the Annual Meet- 
ing was held at the Continental Hotel, Philadel- 
phia, on the fifth of May, 1866. How many were 
present at that time is not known, but the record 
says "Not enough of the members of the Board 
being present to constitute a quorum it was resolv- 
ed to go immediately into a meeting for the elec- 
tion of officers to serve the ensuing year." Gen- 
eral Mott was elected President and General Mc- 
Allister, Vice President and five officers constituted 
the Board. 

The time seems to have been devoted to amend- 
ing the constitution and by-laws, with the idea 
principally to have them conform to the new cir- 
cumstances. The radical change was the dropping 
from the "Declaration and Preamble" the state- 
ment that the society was a benevolent one and in 
place of that saying it was to aid brother officers, 
etc. The new constitution was printed with the 
reports of the Secretary and Treasurer, and an 
"Introductory" in a little pamphlet, measuring 
some four inches by three and consisting of twenty- 
four pages. This is probably one of the little 
"War-Books" that in the years to come will bring 
a fabulous price and as it must be unknown to 
many the "Introductory" is worth quoting, at 
least in part. 

[ 28 ] 



" Rejoicing in the glorious memories of the past, 
with a hearty greeting for the present, and high 
hopes for the future, the Third Corps Union issues 
this Httle pamphlet to its members, now scattered 
all over this broad land, confidently trusting that 
it may revive the martial spirit of those days when 
they all wore the 'blue' and the 'diamond', and 
marched to victory with the bannered hosts of the 
noble old Corps. 

"Perchance it may come to the peaceful homes 
and places of business — aye, it may be, to the 
sick couch of very many who will, as they read it, 
gaze with greater interest and with redoubled affec- 
tion and pride on our golden decoration, and on 
the mute but eloquent engraving which adorns 
their dwelling. Memory will call up from her 
treasured storehouse the scenes and associations 
of the hurried, tiresome march, the hasty bivouac, 
the battle, the victory, the defeat, the wounds, 
the dead and dying comrades; while sweetly blend- 
ing with them all comes siren winged peace, with 
magic power, binding up the wounds of war, heal- 
ing the solitary, mourning, riven heart, and cloth- 
ing with monumental dignity each blade of grass 
as it rears anew its emerald splendor over the 
resting places of their patriot dead. 

" For the widow and orphan it commemorates a 
husband and a father who fell under the Red, the 
White, or the Blue, a Diamond lost in the setting 
of earth, to be reproduced in the soldier's glorious 
signet of eternity. And while with one hand it 
offers the afflicted ones its sincerest sympathies 
and its most cordial remembrances, with the other 
it proffers the hearty benevolence of its treasury. 



29 



To all it comes as a messenger of the glorious old 
days of the Third Corps, recalling hallowed re- 
membrances, pleasant companionships, saluting 
the living, remembering the dead and bidding us 
leave for a little time the busy, bustling avocations 
of life, that we may live over again our army days 
and consecrate ourselves anew to this Association 
to which we are bound by no common ties, and 
which this day invites us to receive its affectionate 
God speed." 

The Secretary closes this introduction with a 
tribute to Surgeon S. C. Hunkins, Third Maine, 
whose death occurred as the book went to press. 

In his annual report Colonel Welling, after 
touching upon the topics of routine, "Since our 
last meeting I have been constantly in receipt of 
letters from our comrades throughout the country, 
asking for information, which to my mind evinces 
that the spirit of the old Third Corps, and the 
love for this association, the only link binding us 
to our martial days, have by no means grown cold, 
or been permitted to die out. And while now 
there seems to be an apparent apathy and want of 
interest on the part of members, I am confident 
that by using the means I have mentioned, the 
'esprit de corps' of ancient days would leap 
forth to new life and to a more enthusiastic de- 
monstration than has ever been witnessed, even 
in the midst of warlike scenes. 

"The only communication to which it is my 
pleasurable duty to call your attention is from 
the First Massachusetts Infantry Association, of 
Boston, bearing the signatures of General Robert 
Cowden and Captain Isaac P. Gragg, the President 

[ 30 1 



and Secretary. In it are embodied in a neat and 
novel form their kindliest salutations to the Union, 
and their assurances of never to be forgotten 
comradeship." 

Referring to the death of members he thus eulo- 
gizes Surgeon Calhoun, his predecessor. "And 
I should be false to my own heart promptings, as 
w^ell as false to the sincere sentiments of our Union, 
did I fail to commemorate in this report the death 
of our Second Secretary, and our honored, gifted 
friend and brother, Assistant Surgeon J. Theodore 
Calhoun, U. S. Army. True to the spirit w^hich 
gave such vitality to his career, he died a victim to 
a disease v^hose mission it was his to conquer. 
Possessing an indomitable will, a resolute spirit 
and brilliant genius, he rose to a position in his 
profession which adds lustre to his name and pride 
to us today, as we pay our tribute to his memory. 
I feel it to be not only a pleasure but a duty for me 
to recommend to you, gentlemen, that resolutions 
be passed and sent to his bereaved wife and family 
expressive of our appreciation of his life and ser- 
vices to us as a Society and deeply sympathetic 
with them in the hour of their affliction. 

"There may be others who have passed from 
earth since our last assembly, and whose names 
are registered on the rolls of eternity; if they are 
omitted here, as we pay our tributes of respect to 
departed comrades, the omission must be attri- 
buted to want of knowledge. For such the Union 
wears the badge of mourning on its ensign, and to 
their families extends its warmest sympathies and 
most heartfelt benedictions. 

"As I respectfully submit my report, may I 

\ 31 1 



indulge the hope that, as over the graves of our 
dead comrades the green grass of an awakening 
spring has already begun to wave, so may our 
memory of them and those they left behind, be so 
green, so fresh, so pure, that we shall today again 
renew our allegiance to this society and again de- 
clare that for the sake of our comrades in the other 
world and their stricken, sorrowing ones in this, 
we will be true to our name, to our past, and to our 
future." 

This extract from the first report of the Secre- 
tary after the war days were ended is a fair sample 
of every one that was given the men until the day 
when his pen could no longer record his thoughts. 
Is it any wonder that, listening to such words, 
under the circumstances in which they were de- 
livered, or reading them when printed by men far 
off in the country home, a sentiment was created 
for the "Union" that has held us together as the 
men of no other corps have been held. There have 
been other reasons for this, in which we have been 
peculiarly fortunate, and one is, in having so con- 
tinuously the presence and inspiration of our 
loved Commander, whose interest in each and 
every one of his "boys" has been as genuine as 
the love of a father for his children, and who has 
received it back into his heart in full measure. 
This is also true in scarcely less measure in the 
case of other men to whom we looked up and re- 
spected. Mott, McAllister, Graham and many 
others were constant in their attendance at the 
meetings and never ceased to evince the liveliest 
interest in the Union. As these passed, other 
men came to the front, less well known at the first 

[ 3^2 ] 



but worthy successors of those named, who kept 
alive the spirit and, it may also be said, aroused it 
to a greater enthusiasm, at times, than it has known 
since the war. 

The meeting in 1867 was held in Trenton. 
General Mott was re-elected President. No mat- 
ters other than routine came before it for con- 
sideration. There was, doubtless, at these early 
meetings a dinner, or "banquet", but no reference 
is made to it, although an entry in the report of 
the Treasurer might lead to the belief that it was 
paid from his funds. 

The meeting of 1868 was also in Trenton, The 
report names those present, the number being but 
twenty-two. General Sickles was elected Presi- 
dent. The death of Mrs. Helen Gilson Osgood, 
who was for so long a time identified with the 
Corps as a nurse, was announced and a committee 
reported resolutions "in honor of the departure 
from earth of this estimable woman". Later we 
shall read of a monument to her memory. Un- 
fortunately, the annual reports of the Treasurer, 
other than that recorded in his book, have not 
been preserved for this and some years to come. 

In December, 1868, there was a special meeting 
of the Directors at Delmonico's in New York, at 
which arrangements were made, by appointing 
a committee, for the meeting on the coming 
fifth of May. "The duty of said committee 
shall be to provide an entertainment, to issue 
tickets at such a rate as shall defray the conse- 
quent expenses and to attend to such other matters 
as may come under their jurisdiction as acommittee 
of arrangements." The well known names of 

[ 33 ] 



Cooney, Bullard, Fassett and McMichael appear 
as members selected for the work. 

On motion of Colonel McMichael it was voted: 

"Whereas, There is an earnest desire among the 
surviving officers of the Army of the Potomac for 
the formation of a society and a general reunion 
of all who served in that organization, 

"Resolved, That it is recommended by the 
Third Corps Union, the oldest association of that 
army, that measures be at once taken to secure 
the speedy accomplishment of the universally 
expressed wish." 

The committee appointed to carry out this 
was General Hooker, Colonels McMichael and 
Pulford, with General Sickles as the chairman. 

A special meeting of the members was called 
on the twenty-second of December, also at Del- 
monico's, when thirty-three responded to roll call. 
General Pleasanton was present by invitation and 
was elected an honorary member of the Union. 
This was done in the enthusiasm of the moment 
and Generals Hooker and Heintzleman were im- 
mediately proposed and elected likewise. Later 
it was suggested by some that the constitution 
made no provision for honorary members and it 
took much talk to set the matter right. The 
arrangements for the annual meeting were dis- 
cussed, a vote passed inviting all officers of the 
Corps, not members of the Union, to be present, 
subscriptions were received for a monument to 
Mrs. Helen Gilson Osgood and resolutions on the 
death of deceased comrades. 

[ 34 ] 



At the annual meeting on the fifth of May, 1869, 
held at Delmonico's, an attempt was made to 
amend the constitution and permit the election 
of honorary members, but it failed of success. 
Power was given the Directors to invite "distin- 
guished officers" to the banquet. General Sickles 
was again elected to the presidency. 

The meeting in 1870 was held in Boston. Elab- 
orate preparations had been made, although much 
of the zest of the occasion was discounted by the 
absence of General Sickles, who had been ap- 
pointed Minister to Spain since the last meeting. 
To add to it, neither General Mott nor any of the 
distinguished officers of the Corps were able to 
be present. Major A. Judson Clark presided at 
the meeting. General Sickles was again the 
choice for President but an eastern man came in 
for second place. Colonel Charles P. Mattocks, 
of Portland, Me., and two eastern men were put 
upon the Board of Directors. 

Captain G. W. Cooney offered the following: 

"Whereas, General |. Watts De Peyster has, 
with his pen and influenceon all occasions defended 
and sustained the reputation of the Third Corps, by 
giving to the public the true version of its acts in 
the several engagements in which it participated 
during the late war, particularly the Battle of 
Gettysburg, therefore, 

"Resolved, That a committee be authorized 
to prepare and present to him a suitable medal, as 
an appreciation of his efforts and as a recognition 
of his ability, to hand down to posterity a true and 
correct statement of the part acted by the Third 

r 35 1 



Corps during the war. The same to be by volun- 
tary subscriptions and of no expense to the Union." 

Colonel Batchelder invited the members to visit 
the picture of the Battle of Gettysburg, then on 
exhibition, and offered to donate the receipts of 
one day to the monument to be erected to Mrs. 
Helen Gilson Osgood. General Mattocks presided 
at the dinner and gave an oration carefully prepared, 
by request, on the "Lessons of the War", and a 
poem was read by Lieutenant George A. Marden, 
First Sharp Shooters. The invited guests were 
General Cowden, of Boston, and Mayor Shurtleff. 
Hon. Frank B. Fay was also present, known to 
many soldiers for his activity in the hospitals and 
on the field as a leading member of the Christian 
commission. 

The meeting in 1871 was held at the Astor 
House, New York. Colonel McMichael pre- 
sided. The minutes of the meeting show that the 
monetary condition was beginning to alarm some of 
the members and that a fear of encroaching upon 
the invested money had been aroused, probably 
by the expense of the Boston meeting. After 
quite sharp discussion the following article was 
adopted as an amendment to the constitution. 
"Honorary members of the Third Corps Union 
may be elected in either of the following ways, viz.: 
First, by a unanimous vote at any annual meeting. 
Second, by a nomination at any stated meeting 
and an election by a vote of three-fourths of all 
members present at the next annual meeting." 
The following were then declared honorary mem- 
bers: General Alfred Pleasanton; General J. Watts 
De Peyster; and Thomas M. Cook, representative 

[ 36 ] 



at Third Corps headquarters for a long time of the 
New York Herald. This entry suggests the re- 
mark that there is no evidence that Generals 
Hooker and Heintzleman were ever formally 
elected members of either class. General Charles 
K. Graham was elected President and Colonel 
Clayton McMichael of Philadelphia, Vice Presi- 
dent. Either at this or the former meeting life 
memberships were provided for at the rate of 
twenty-five dollars, relieving the members of all 
dues. 

During this year, the date is not on record, the 
badge was presented to General De Peyster. It 
was thus described: ''The badge is six inches long. 
At the top, forming the pin clasp, is a shoulder 
strap embossed with two silver stars, indicative 
of the rank of major general. The badge depends 
from this, and is composed of gold, tastefully 
relieved with precious stones. The upper part 
consists of seven gold bars on which are engraved 
the services rendered by the recipient. Below 
these bars is an exquisitely chased eagle with wings 
full spread, holding in his talons a diamond or 
lozenge, the distinguishing badge of the Third 
Corps while in the field. On this is an enameled 
wreath of laurel, two crossed swords and a small 
lozenge in the center surrounded by silver rays. 
This smaller lozenge holds a diamond worth one 
hundred and fifty dollars. Above it, and beneath 
the swords, is engraved the name of Heintzleman, 
the first commander of the Corps. From the 
lower angle of the lozenge and the two points of 
the crossed swords, hang three pendants, lozenge 
shaped, which represent the three divisions com- 

[ 37 ] 



posing the old corps, when it was complete. The 
first is set with a ruby of the finest water, and has 
engraved on the reverse the name of the deeply 
mourned Kearny, who originated the idea of such 
a decoration for his division. The second is repre- 
sented by a clear diamond bearing the name of 
Hooker. The third is a choice sapphire and bears 
the name of Whipple, who was mortally wounded 
at Chancellorsville. 

''These four names, Heintzleman, Kearny, 
Hooker and Whipple, form an epitome of the ser- 
vices rendered the country by the officers and men 
of the gallant old Third Corps." 

A special meeting of the directors was held at 
the call of the President, on the tenth of January, 
1872. The reason is told by the preamble and 
resolutions adopted. 

"Whereas, General D. E. Sickles, our corps 
commander, the U. S. Minister at Spain, is on a 
visit to the United States, and 

"Whereas, His brilliant services, as a be- 
loved commander of our corps, as well as his dis- 
tinguished position among the statesmen of our 
country, reflect the highest honor upon us as a 
society and upon the country at large, therefore, 

"Resolved, That we tender to General Sickles 
our congratulations upon his safe return to the 
land of his birth under such favorable auspices, 
and it gives us great satisfaction that he has availed 
himself of the indulgence of the Department to 
visit his home, as well as to give us an opportunity 
to renew to him our sentiments of high regard and 
esteem. That we tender to him a dinner, at such 

[ 38 ] 



time and place as he may designate, previous to 
his departure for Spain; and in the event of his 
acceptance, the President be empowered to appoint 
a committee to make all arrangements." 

A committee was appointed with Colonel 
McMichael as chairman. It was made up of 
Generals Graham and Sharpe. Major Bullard, 
Captain Fassitt, General Tremain and Captain 
Demarest. 

There are no records from which to ascertain 
the date when the dinner was given. 

The annual meeting of 1872 was held on the 
fourth of May. General Graham, the president, 
was absent because of illness. A large part of the 
time of the meeting was taken up with discussing 
amendments to the constitution, that have no 
interest today. It appears that General Heintzle- 
man was present. For the first time there was a 
difference among the members as to the choice of 
officers. Two candidates were named for presi- 
dent. One, General Graham, the second, Colonel 
McMichael. The result was the election of the 
first as president and the second as vice president. 
The city of Philadelphia, where the meeting was 
held, extended every courtesy to the Union .The 
meeting was held in the Council Chamber of the 
City Hall; the Union League Club threw open its 
doors and the citizens by many courtesies made us 
welcome. The dinner in the evening was the 
largest and most distinguished of any the Corps 
had ever enjoyed. There were present Generals 
Meade, Patterson, Heintzleman, Mott, Tremain 
and Sewall; Hon. Morton McMichael and 
Colonel James Forney of the Marine Corps, and a 

[ 39 ] 



very large representation of the members of the 
Union. Taken altogether it was voted the most 
enthusiastic and enjoyable of any meeting that 
had been held. On the following day those of 
the men who remained over were taken among 
other places to Woodlands Cemetery, where 
General Birney is buried. 

One outcome of this meeting was the attempt 
to have a complete roster of the members printed. 
It was put forth in the January following and from 
the notice on the first page of the pamphlet of 
fifteen pages, it was evidently but an attempt to 
obtain information that would lead to a more per- 
fect record. The names were not given in alpha- 
betical order and but a few of them had any but 
the regiment to which the comrade belonged. The 
Secretary said: "There are a large number upon 
the roll whose address is unknown to the Secretary, 
and members will please note the address of such 
as may come within their knowledge. If any 
have died please mark date of death." A list of 
the dead of the Union was appended, to the number 
of fifty-five. 

The meeting of 1873 was held in Irving Hall, 
New York. Colonel Clayton McMichael was 
elected President and General George H. Sharpe, 
Vice-President. Captain Fassitt presented to the 
Secretary, Colonel Welling, a watch and chain, 
Colonel Morgan presented to Major Willard 
Bullard a bronze medal. No mention is made as 
to the donors of these gifts, or who instigated the 
presentations. Resolutions upon the death of 
several members occupied the time of the meeting. 
The "banquet" was spread at Guy's, Corner of 

r 40 1 



Broadway and Fourteenth Street. The only 
record at hand is the bill of fare, from which it is 
gleaned that there were present as guests, General 
Stuart Woodford (much better known today than 
then). General Owens, General McMahon, General 
Davies and Hon. Richard O. Gorman. 

In 1874 the meeting was in Newark. The busi- 
ness was transacted in the City Council Chamber 
by invitation of the Mayor. On motion of General 
Biles the Secretary was "Requested to forward a 
communication to the President of the United 
States asking him to appoint at the solicitation of 
the Third Corps Union, William P. Van Leer, son 
of Colonel John P. Van Leer, killed at the Battle 
of Williamsburgh, to a Cadetship at West Point." 

The question of a history of the Third Corps 
coming before the meeting it was, after many mo- 
tions and much discussion, moved and voted, 
"That a committee of five be appointed to confer 
with General De Peyster as to the publication of 
his history of the Third Corps." 

On motion of Colonel Bullard the Secretary was 
instructed "to telegraph to Congress that the Third 
Army Corps Union would like to see the bill pass 
for the Centennial appropriation in order that the 
one hundredth anniversary of American liberty 
may be a greater success." Colonel McMichael 
was re-elected president. 

A complete report of this meeting, as given by 
the newspapers, would fill many pages. The 
mayor gave a reception and made a speech of wel- 
come. General Mott, in his official capacity of 
Commander of the State Militia, with his Brigade 
Commanders, and their staffs were present to ex- 

[ 41 ] 



tend a welcome and in fact the freedom of the city 
was presented, not only to the society but to every 
individual. After the adjournment of the business 
meeting the Fifth Veteran Regiment, commanded 
by Colonel Barnard, with the band from Gov- 
ernors Island, paraded in front of the City Hall, 
and as the members of the Union present appeared 
on the steps they presented arms. Taking posi- 
tion immediately behind the color company the 
march to Military Park was made, where a salute 
was fired by Battery A, commanded by Captain 
Kahlert. The visitors then took position and the 
First Brigade, after inspection by General Mott, 
passed in review. 

The exercises of the evening were held at the 
Maison Grise, with a large number of distinguished 
guests, and the post prandial section was ex- 
tended into the wee small hours. The most inter- 
esting of the speakers was Cortland Parker, a 
relative of General Kearny, who responded to the 
toast in his memory as follows: After giving a 
portrayal of the character of the man, the love his 
officers and men bore him, the care, the anxiety, 
the tenderness he evinced towards his men, he 
said: "Shall we forget all about this brave soldier, 
shall we forget the feeling of his brigade when the 
order for promotion came and he was offered a 
division .? He replied, 'Yes, I accept, if my brigade 
is to be a part of my division. ' It was but a few 
weeks after he took command of that division that 
he led to the victory of Williamsburgh, of which 
today is the anniversary. Hardly a movement 
took place on the Peninsula but he foresaw it, and 
wrote his friends about it. He had a remarkable 

[ 42 ] 



foresight. Who saved our troops when they were 
retreating on Harrison Landing ? Was it not 
Phil Kearny ? He went through the war merely 
the gallant soldier, while feeling that he could lead 
a division as easily as a brigade, a corps as easily 
as a division. Had he known how much he was 
valued, in all probability he would not have died 
so soon. In one letter the Secretary of War states 
that he was waiting for the opportunity to make 
use of such signal ability. The command of the 
army of the Potomac was his destiny had not death 
intervened. It was a fearful thing for us all that 
we should lose him at that time. I shall never 
forget that day. Handsome, nobly surrendered 
by General Lee, his body conveyed to Washington 
and brought here. His person was hardly known 
here, having lived so much abroad. But the Com- 
mon Council and the citizens of Newark insisted 
and the cortege came over from the Passaic River, 
revered by silent multitudes, carried through our 
streets to the extreme end of our city and con- 
veyed to its last resting place amid the most solemn 
ceremonies." 

The meeting of 1875 was held in New York. 
At this meeting there was a thorough revision of 
the constitution, following the report of a com- 
mittee appointed the year before. The name of 
the society was changed from "Third Corps 
Union" to "Third Army Corps Union". All sug- 
gestion of aid to members is discarded and the 
object of the society is declared to be "to perpet- 
uate the history of the Corps". A separation of 
the money in the Treasurer's hands was made, for 
a Permanent and a Contingent Fund. Trustees 

[ 43 ] 



were to be elected to have the control of the Perma- 
nent Fund, which was to be credited with all the 
money in the treasury after the debts of the fiscal 
year were paid. Other changes were not of great 
consequence to us of today. 

The President was requested to "present to 
his Excellency, the President of the United States, 
the name of Frederick Clay Bowers, son of Captain 
Charles F. Bowers, late eighth New Jersey, for 
appointment as cadet at large to the U. S. Naval 
Academy, as a recognition of the services of our 
comrade who fought gallantly in the late war, for 
the preservation of the Union." 

The Secretary was instructed "To thank the 
President of the United States, General U. S. 
Grant, for prompt and very satisfactory attention 
to the recommendation of the Union, for the ap- 
pointment of William P. Van Leer to the Military 
Academy at West Point." 

The election resulted in the choice of General 
George H. Sharpe for President and General 
William Sewall for Vice President. 

In adjourning. General Tremain moved that 
"The next annual reunion be on May fifth, as pre- 
scribed by the constitution, and be adjourned with- 
out the transaction of business, to a later day in 
that year, to be named by the Board." The ob- 
ject of this motion, not referred to in the records, 
was to afford the society the opportunity of being 
in Philadelphia at the Centennial Reunion. 

The meeting of 1876 was held as prescribed and 
adjourned after electing General Joseph B. Kiddoo, 
U. S. A., late One hundred and thirty-seventh 

[ 44 ] 



Pennsylvania, a member of the Union. There is 
no record of a Philadelphia meeting other than 
the call of the Secretary, for the fifth of June, at 
the Union League House. The dinner to be 
served in the banquet room of the League. 

The distinguished guests present at this meeting 
were: Governor Hartranft, Generals Hooker, 
Hardin, Dix, Hancock, Ingalls, McCook, Hum- 
phrey and Potter. 

The meeting of 1877 was held in New York at 
Delmonico's. General Sewall was elected Presi- 
dent and General Tremain, Vice President. Gen- 
eral Sickles was present and answered to the toast 
of the President at the dinner in the evening. 
Others at the board were Generals Butterfield, 
Pleasanton, McCook, Kiddoo, Hobart Ward and 
Crawford. It is perhaps superfluous to say that 
the comrades who were present at this welcome 
to General Sickles on his return from Spain, were 
those who never fail to respond to the annual call, 
as well as many who were seldom seen at the meet- 
ings. General Sickles had, as his guest. Colonel 
Lopez de Queralta, "a leader of the insurgent 
forces in his native land," as the papers reported. 

The meeting of 1878 was at Newburg, on the 
Hudson, on the seventh of May, the fifth having 
fallen on Sunday. The officers who served dur- 
ing the last year were elected by acclamation. As 
at Newark so at Newburg, city officials and citizens 
alike vied with one another to do honor to their 
visitors. On arrival we were escorted to the 
Mayor's office, where a reception was held, the 
mayor at that time being Colonel Weygant of the 

[ 45 ] 



One hundred twenty-fourth New York, which was 
largely recruited from the locality and known to 
us as the "Orange-Blossoms". Of that com- 
mittee of reception were Major Ramsdell and Dr. 
Montfort, well known members of the Regiment 
and the Union. After the reception we were given 
a lunch at the hotel, with a speech of welcome from 
Rev. W. K. Hall, and an invitation to the Head- 
quarters of Washington. Carriages for all were 
provided and upon arrival we were welcomed by 
Hon. Joel T. Headley, in behalf of the Trustees. 
His address was a long but an exceedingly inter- 
esting one, calculated to impress us with the sacred 
memories clustering about the spot. It would be 
interesting reading today, but its length is unsuited 
to this review. The conclusion, however, may 
well be reproduced. 

"Yet here, right in front of this building, the 
old, ragged. Continentals were drawn up in line 
for the last time, and here they broke ranks for 
the last time, while the band played the mournful 
tune of Roslyn Castle with which they were accus- 
tomed to bear their dead comrades to their graves. 
Then ensued a scene that the pen of the historian 
has never described and never will. Gallant 
officers who had ridden all steadily through the 
storm of battle and periled their lives without fear 
or thought, for the sake of their country, stood 
alone, or in groups, on this green bluff, penniless 
and with no way of reaching their still more penni- 
less families, except by begging. Of all the sad 
scenes that long sad war produced, this last break- 
ing up of the army furnished the saddest of all. I 
will not attempt to portray it. I will only say the 

[ 46 ] 



conflict was over, and the flag that had floated over 
this building for more than a year and a half was 
taken down, and silence and solitude fell upon it. 
It remained neglected and forgotten until 1850 
when the State, having purchased it, consecrated 
it to its present use amid imposing ceremonies. 
General Scott pulled the halyards that sent the 
flag up the staff", bearing the inscription of Liberty 
and Union, Now and Forever, One and Insepar- 
able. In floating out to the breeze amid the ac- 
clamation of the people, it floats out today a 
welcome to the heroes of later battles and of the 
last great conflict for the Union," 

General Sewall responded for the society and 
General Hooker made a speech replete with pa- 
triotism. General Sickles also addressed the 
gathering after which another lunch was served, 
to the music of a band stationed outside, after 
which we re-entered "the carriages and were driven 
to Balmville where we rode through the grounds of 
several beautiful estates, commanding fine views of 
the Hudson and in returning stopped at the house 
of Hon. Homer Ramsdell for refreshments. 

After this the business meeting was held, occupy- 
ing little time. The following resolution adopted, 
relating to General Mott, although he was not 
mentioned by name, was the only action of note. 

"Whereas, one of our most distinguished com- 
rades, an ex-President of the Union, has recently 
passed through the fires of a Legislative investiga- 
tion, on charges aff"ecting his character as a public 
oflBcer and a man, and 

"Whereas, He was honorably acquitted of the 
same and his character fully vindicated, therefore, 

\ 47 1 



**Resolved, That we congratulate him on his 
complete and handsome vindication, and hail his 
presence here today as that of a worthy comrade 
and gentleman. We rejoice at the record he has 
made, both at home and in the army, and tender 
him the assurances of our renewed confidence and 
esteem." 

The dinner was an elaborate and prolonged one. 
Among the guests were General Schofield and 
Colonel Batchelder, the historian of Gettysburg. 
The speakers were many but notably Generals 
Hooker, Sickles and Robinson. The memory of 
Lincoln was responded to by Judge Taylor, who 
during his speech said, "And now guide your eyes, 
gentlemen, (pointing to a flag), to the flag that 
decorated the box in that theatre where Mr. 
Lincoln sat, that flag that caught the foot of the 
assassin as he jumped from the box to the stage, 
the flag that secured the arrest and conviction and 
the ultimate death of the assassin. It appears as 
if that flag, which you had been defending for four 
long years, in the defence of which thousands of 
lives and millions of money had been expended, 
rose instinctively to arrest that dastardly assassin 
and caught him on the stage of the theatre and 
secured his ultimate execution. There is more 
in that flag, gentlemen, than many think. You 
have loved it greatly. You have risked your all, 
sacrificed your all, for its defence. And it appears 
as if, in times of peril and emergency, there exists 
in it an instinct for its own protection, that will 
rise to defend itself against a dastardly and cow- 
ardly attack." The speech-making was kept up 

[ 48 ] 



until a late hour, many who had never, or seldom, 
been heard at the meetings, being obliged to say 
something. All joined hands and sang "Auld 
Lang Syne" and our fifteenth anniversary ban- 
quet ended. 

The next day four carriage loads drove to West 
Point over the new mountain road. There were 
Generals Hooker, Sewall and Rusling; Chaplains 
Twichell and Hall; Colonels Welling and Bachel- 
der; Majors Purdy, Noonan and Shreve. Several 
ladies were also of the party. The day was spent 
in viewing the grounds and taking in the beauties 
of the spot, but beyond no one of the number will 
ever forget the life infused into the company by 
the conversation of General Hooker, with his 
reminiscences of Cadet life and of distinguished 
people of the generation, in every walk of life, 
from Kate Chase to "Saint Abraham". 

The meeting of 1879 was held at Delmonico's 
in New York. General Henry E. Tremain was 
elected President and General Edwin R. Biles 
Vice President. A discussion arose upon a motion 
to repeal that clause of the constitution providing 
for members in succession. The motion was lost. 

There were present at the dinner Generals 
Hooker, Sickles, Robinson, Davis, Tibbetts, Gra- 
ham and Mott. 

At the meeting of May fifth, 1880, about thirty 
members were present, General Biles in the chair. 
Inasmuch as it had been previously determined to 
hold a meeting at Cape May City on the eighth 
of July, this was merely to comply with the re- 
quirements of the constitution. 

Attention was called to the deaths since our 

f 49 1 



last meeting of Generals Hooker, Heintzleman and 
Tibbetts, and Generals De Peyster, Robinson and 
Colonel Otis were requested to prepare "suitable 
resolutions". 

After a lunch the party sailed down the harbor, 
by invitation of General Graham, on a Govern- 
ment tug. In the evening General Sickles enter- 
tained a few at dinner. 

The adjourned meeting at Cape May was largely 
attended. The report of the Treasurer and a 
roster of members was issued in this year. 

In 1 88 1 the meeting was at the Astor House, 
New York. General Biles was elected President 
and Major Shreve , Vice President. Following the 
business meeting a large party accepted the invi- 
tation of General Graham to sail down the harbor, 
which sail was quite beyond Sandy Hook, giving 
the comrades a healthy appetite for the dinner in 
the evening. 

About seventy sat down at this banquet, almost 
all members, as at that day the ladies were not 
invited to swell the number. 

The reports of the committee of the resolutions 
on the deaths of Generals Hooker and Heintzle- 
man were presented at this meeting and later were 
printed. 

In 1882 the meeting was in Jersey City, at the 
Hotel Windsor. Major William P. Shreve was 
elected President and Major Bullard, Vice Presi- 
dent. On motion a committee was named to con- 
fer with Colonel Bachelder upon the position of the 
Third Corps monuments at Gettysburg. A sug- 
gestion was made looking to having the Union 

[ 50 ] 



incorporated, but the committee named for that 
purpose has never reported. 

The annual meeting of 1883 was at Washington, 
May sixteenth, adjourned from the fifth. Where 
that was held is not shown. This arrangement 
was that we might meet with the Army of the 
Potomac Society. There was no dinner of the 
Corps, but all joined with the Potomac Society in 
the celebration and therefore the Corps meeting, 
as such, was practically lost sight of. This meet- 
ing extinguished what sentiment there was in our 
society for changing our meetings to the dates of 
the Potomac Army. Hereafter, save on special 
occasions, we decided to keep our individuality 
and celebrate our own anniversary. 

In 1884 the meeting was in New York. Major 
J. Barclay Fassitt was elected President and Colo- 
nel Morgan, Vice President. The dinner was at 
Sieghortner's, 32 Lafayette Place. Nothing is 
known about this meeting other than this, the 
Secretary being kept from it, as a resolution shows, 
by family affliction. 

The meeting of 1885 was held in New York. 
Colonel Bankson T. Morgan was elected Presi- 
dent and Colonel Rafferty, Vice President. The 
meeting was one of the saddest in the history of 
the Union because of the death of General Mott, 
in the previous November. He had been the first 
and only Treasurer, and Major William P. Shreve 
was chosen as his successor. In the absence of 
the resolutions passed at this time it is not inap- 
propriate to honor the memory of this well loved 
comrade by quoting the following obituary notice. 

"General Gershom Mott, a distinguished sol- 



51 



dier of the volunteer service during the Civil War, 
and a veteran of the Mexican War, died suddenly 
in New York City of heart disease on November 
twenty-ninth. 

"On April twenty-third, 1847, ^^ "^^^ appointed 
a Second Lieutenant of the Tenth U. S. Infantry 
and remained in service until 1848, when he 
returned to his native state, New Jersey. When 
the war broke out he was commissioned Lieuten- 
ant Colonel of the Fifth New Jersey Volunteers, 
and for his distinguished conduct was soon after- 
wards promoted to Colonel of the Sixth New Jersey. 
For gallantry at Bull Run, where he was severely 
wounded, he was promoted Brigadier General. 
He was, on returning to the field, assigned to the 
command of the Third Brigade, Second Division, 
Third Corps of the Potomac, succeeding to the 
command of the Division. At the Battle of Chan- 
cellorsville General Mott was again wounded. On 
September tenth, 1864, he was brevetted Major 
General and when the army was disbanded he was 
placed in command of the Provisional Corps, 
which was formed of the remnants of the Second 
and Third Corps. When that was mustered out 
General Mott was appointed on the Wirz Com- 
mission. He was promoted to the full rank of 
Major General, and on the twentieth of February 
1866, left the service under a resignation, pre- 
viously tendered. Since then he has held several 
prominent positions in his native state, one of 
them the commander of the New Jersey National 
Guard, with the rank of Major General. The 
body was escorted to the State House in Trenton 
by the National Guard. It laid in state from 

r 52 ] 



noon to two P. M. The Governor and other 
distinguished officials were present and Major 
General Hancock, his warm friend, attended by 
his staff. The remains were taken to Riverview 
Cemetery for interment." 

A resolution was passed congratulating General 
Grant upon his "Having started on the road to 
recovery." Another was sent to the Society of the 
Army of the Potomac, in session at Baltimore, 
asking their support in a petition to Congress to 
make an appropriation for a statue to General 
Hooker. 

The meeting of 1886 was in New York, at the 
Hoffman House. Colonel Thomas Rafferty was 
elected President and Colonel A. Judson Clark, 
Vice-President. General Sickles moved the ap- 
pointment of a committee inviting the officers, 
non-commissioned officers and privates belongingto 
the Third Corps to assemble at Gettysburg on 
the second of July next, to celebrate the twenty- 
third anniversary of the battle. 

To the Treasurer this meeting is memorable 
as the one on which the first money was taken from 
the Permanent fund for expenses. The most 
important measure introduced, and one that at first 
seemed so radical as to be impossible of success, 
was that of General Sickles, which proposed an 
amendment to the constitution providing for the 
admission of private soldiers to the privileges of 
membership in the Union. It was passed in the 
following year and the result has been greater 
than could have been expected, in promoting the 
best interests of the Society and giving it a new 
life. 

[ 53 ] 



The meeting of 1887 was held at the Windsor 
Hotel in New York. Colonel A. Judson Clark 
was elected President and General Collis, Vice 
President. A committee was appointed, on motion 
of General Sickles, "To take steps looking to a 
reunion of the Army of the Potomac and the Army 
of Northern Virginia, at Gettysburg, on the anni- 
versary of the battle in 1888." Those appointed 
were Generals Carr, Sharpe, Robinson and Gra- 
ham, and Colonels McMichael and Clark. 

The report of the Secretary, that has been pre- 
served, closes thus: — "As we come hither each 
year to grasp one another's hands in joyous greet- 
ing, it seems that the heads grow a trifle whiter, 
the voices slightly more tremulous, the step a 
little less elastic — but the heart, aye, the heart, 
is just as young, just as buoyant, just as fresh as 
in the good old days of yore. In one more year 
those of us who can answer the roll call will 
come to the celebration of the twenty-fifth anni- 
versary of the Third Corps Union. A quarter of 
a century! and what a host of precious memories 
are centered in those words! What forms, long 
since gone to their rest are conjured up in this 
presence, what a history is written in that recol- 
lection ! 

"Absorbed in such reflections we can easily 
imagine ourselves once again in the midst of war's 
dread preparations, and from our watch tower 
looking down on such scenes, as we all have wit- 
nessed, can say: 

"Is it the frost that glitters so white! 
Is it the wind in yonder glen! 

[ 54 ] 



No! No! there are tents on the mountain height 
And that is the marshalhng sound of men. 

Bright o'er an army the morning shines, 
Gleaming as o'er a ruffled lake; 
Dark lie the cannons along the lines, 
Like hurricane clouds before they break. 

Over the hill and over the valley 
Wildly the clarions call to the rally! 
Float, banner, float! bright as the sunset, 
Blow, bugles, blow! blow for the onset." 

"Those of us who have survived the conflict, 
after witnessing the ravages of the battle field 
and the ruins that smouldered in war's wasting 
track, purpose with the nation's help, to people 
these fields with voiceless tenants. There we 
propose shall stand the storied urn and animated 
bust! there shall be brought the marble of Italy 
and New England and the soft tinted free stone, 
from the bosom of our own prairies, wrought into 
a thousand memorial shapes, and telling the story 
of a thousand heroic lives. And there too, realiz- 
ing the contrast of the before and the after, which 
the pen of Tennyson so grandly describes, again 
accept his word as the voice of our souls: — 

"Is it a ruin old and gray 
That glimmers in dusky twilight so ? 
A ruin whose walls and people lay 
Mingled together, in dust below, 
O'er which the moon of lurid red 
Wanders in smoky vapors lost ? 

[ 55 ] 



No! No! 'tis the shadow field of the dead, 
And the wreck of a discomfited foe! 
Over the hill and over the valley, 
Never shall clarion call them to rally. 
Droop, banners, droop, droop like the willow! 
Weep, angels, weep! O'er the soldier's pillow!" 

The meeting in 1888 was held at the Windsor 
Hotel in New York. General Sickles was elected 
President and General Collis, Vice President. 

The following letter was read. After reading it 
was laid on the table without action. 

"To the Directors, 

Third Corps Union, 

Comrades: — 

I hereby respectfully tender my resignation of 
the position held for many years of Trustee of the 
Permanent Fund. I do so because The Corps 
has honored me sufficiently by having made me, 
during my long connection with it. President for 
two terms, Vice President, Director and Trustee, 
and I have arrived at that time of life when I no 
longer desire to be troubled with any official posi- 
tion, but simply to be one of the rank and file. 
Moreover, I hold strongly to the opinion that the 
interest of the Corps will best be served by rota- 
tion in office, and the infusion of new blood into 
prominent positions. 

Cordially yours, 
(Signed) Charles K. Graham." 

It was ordered that another roster be printed, 
that a design for a button-hole badge be prepared, 

[ 56 ] 



and that all those persons who had been elected 
to the Union, but had failed to qualify, be dropped. 

Among the after dinner speakers were Rev. J. 
R. Paxton, General Woodford, General Horace 
Porter and General Sickles. 

The report of the Secretary at this meeting was 
of the same patriotic character that colored all his 
words. He stated that more members had been 
added to the society during the last year in con- 
sequence of the amendment of the constitution, 
than for the five preceding. Among the deaths 
announced was that of Colonel RafFerty, a former 
President. In closing the Secretary said, "And 
now, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of this society 
and with a grand reunion at Gettysburg in the 
near future, permit me to speak a word of an old 
and loved and trusted commander, General Joe 
Hooker. Surely we ought not to pass this occa- 
sion by without a word to his memory. With all 
due deference to the eminent abilities, patriotism 
and honesty of General George G. Meade, the 
battle of Gettysburg was General Joe Hooker's 
conception and Joe Hooker's victory. Relin- 
quishing his command, at Frederick, he said with 
moistened eyes, 'It is all right. General Meade is 
a good fellow and a brave man and will command 
the army well; individuals are of no account in 
this war, each must do what the country calls him 
to do.' No malice, no pique, no rivalry, no 
off'ended dignity, — only lofty patriotism, high 
conception of duty and the loyal performance ot 
it, conscientiously understood, and faithfully per- 
formed, — this was Joe Hooker. 

"No one man was the entire hero of Gettys- 

[ 57 ] 



burg. Every soldier present there is a sharer 
in that honor. The influence of Hooker never 
left the army of the Potomac until it was mustered 
out of service, under the shadow of the Capitol. 

"And now, as we enjoy the mutual intercourse 
of the hour, let us pledge ourselves that we will 
meet, God willing, on the historic field, to honor 
the memory of the heroic dead, over whose graves 
again gleams the shimmer and sunshine of an 
awakening spring." 

Less than a month before the meeting of 1889 
Major General Charles K. Graham died at Lake- 
wood, N. J. The funeral from the Presbyterian 
Church on Twenty-Third Street was conducted, 
at his request, without military honors. It is well 
to refresh the memory by recalling the record of 
this much loved comrade, as told at that time. 

"Charles Kinnard Graham, civil engineer, ex- 
surveyor and ex-naval officer of the port of New 
York died from pneumonia, April fifteenth, in the 
fifty-fifth year of his age. In 1841 he became a 
midshipman in the Navy, serving in the Gulf 
during the Mexican War, after which he resigned, 
returning to his native city and devoting himself 
to the study of civil engineering. In 1857 he was 
appointed constructing engineer of the Brooklyn 
Navy Yard, the dry docks and landings being 
built under his supervision. In 1861 he joined 
the army and became Colonel of the Fifth Ex- 
celsior Regiment and in November, 1863, a Briga- 
dier General. He was severely wounded in the 
Battle of Gettysburg and after recovery was 
assigned to the command of gun boats on the 
James River, and was the first to carry our colors 

[ 58 ] 



up that river in 1864. He was brevetted Major 
General in March, 1865. From 1873 to 1875 he 
was chief engineer of the Dock Department, and 
surveyor of the port of New York, from 1878 to 
1883. In that year he was appointed naval officer, 
which post he held until 1885. He leaves no 
family, being predeceased by his wife in August 
last." 

The meeting of 1889 was held at the Windsor. 
General Collis was elected President and Colonel 
Weygant, Vice President. Among the letters read 
by the Secretary was one from General Pleasanton 
regretting his inability to attend. The resolutions 
on the death of General Graham are not incor- 
porated in the report. 

At the dinner were present Generals Sherman 
and Butterfield and Judge Brady. General Sher- 
man was elected an honorary member and pre- 
sented with a badge of the society. 

At this date the Secretary's record book closes 
and when the new one opens the first entry is for 
the year 1896. The only knowledge of what was 
done during those years is gleaned from the manu- 
script reports of the Secretary for 1892, (this 
report was printed) 1894, 1895 and 1896. The 
only facts to be obtained from them are the names 
of those who had died during the year, yet they 
are most interesting reading. A few clippings 
from the newspapers add somewhat to our knowl- 
edge. 

The meeting of 1890 was held in Newburg, 
as agreed at the previous meeting, and Colonel 
Charles Weygant was elected President. The 
absence of the Treasurer from that meeting ac- 

[ 59 ] 



counts for not even the newspaper notices having 
been preserved. 

The meeting of 189 1 was probably held in Troy, 
New York, where General Joseph B. Carr was 
elected President. The Treasurer was again 
absent. 

The meeting of 1892 was held in Boston, where 
Colonel William L. Candler was elected President 
and Captain Benjamin Murphy, Vice President. 
Our latest roster gives Captain Murphy as the 
President elected, but it is an error, as he was 
not chosen until the following. For this meeting 
a local committee was appointed and every means 
used to make the occasion a success, as it cer- 
tainly was, and to add members to the society, 
particularly from the enlisted men. The presence 
of Generals Carr, Sickles and Butterfield made 
the occasion a noted one. After the business 
meeting the comrades were escorted to Long Wharf 
by the band of the First Regiment, where three 
steamers were at their disposal for a sail down 
the harbor. Governor Russell, the Mayor of Bos- 
ton, many invited guests, including ladies, were 
of the party. At Deer Island lunch was offered 
by the city, after which the party re-embarked 
and went to Fort Warren where a salute of seven- 
teen guns was given and they were received with 
military honors. At six o'clock they were back 
again at the Parker House, where dinner was 
served at seven. There were more than the usual 
number of invited guests and speakers, the Gov- 
ernor being the chief attraction, who in concluding 
an eloquent speech said: — "When General Sickles 
and General Longstreet met in cordial friendship 

[ 60 ] 



and recalled the days of their bitter and almost 
fatal hostility, when southern and northern troops 
can meet on battle fields and about those memo- 
rials which will make history for future genera- 
tions, when they can exchange trophies of war, I 
think it is too late for any other men to recall the 
bitterness of the fight, the hatred that separated 
us into sections, controversies that now, thank 
God, are ended. It is time to rejoice that God 
has reunited us all." 

In the course of his remarks General Sickles 
said: — "General Hooker once said that the great- 
est pleasure in life was campaigning in the coun- 
try of the enemy, but I would somewhat amend 
that and say that the charm of life is campaigning 
in the country of friends, with the Governor of 
Massachusetts and the Mayor of Boston for your 
hosts." 

The only thing to be said for the meeting of 
1893, that was held at the Plaza, New York, is 
that Captain Benjamin Murphy was elected Presi- 
dent. A committee was named to look after the 
arrangements of the meeting in Washington, in the 
following year. 

The meeting at Washington in 1894 lasted two 
days. The local committee was composed of 
General Chauncey McKeever, General Joseph 
Dickinson, Dr. James E. Dexter and Captain M. 
J. Foote. Among the many recreations was a 
tally-ho ride to Arlington and Cabin John Bridge. 
Colonel Vv^illiam Plimley was elected President. 

As the proceedings of the meeting were issued 
in pamphlet form, we know that the constitution 
was once more amended, this time to permit of 

[ 61 ] 



the formation of "auxiliary branches" of the 
Union, where there were survivors of the Corps. 
The only place that took advantage of the privi- 
lege was Washington. 

A resolution was passed requesting General 
Sickles to present to the Secretary of War the 
application of Major J. Barclay Fassitt for a 
medal of honor for an act of distinguished gallan- 
try in recapturing a battery at Gettysbury. (This 
was in due course bestowed upon Captain Fassitt.) 
Colonel Bumpus presented to the Union the origi- 
nal draft of the minutes of the first meeting of the 
Third Army Corps Union, dated September sec- 
ond, 1863, and signed by Captain J. C. Briscoe. 
(The present whereabouts of these minutes is not 
known.) A resolution was passed deprecating the 
discharge of veterans from the public service. 

After the business meeting a reception was given 
at the White House and later a visit was made to 
the Capitol. The announcement that the next 
meeting would be held in Hadley, Mass., the birth- 
place of General Hooker was received with much 
enthusiasm and preliminary steps were taken 
looking to the event. 

On the twentieth of December, previous to this 
meeting, the President, Colonel William L. Candler, 
died. He was buried with full military honors, 
from Trinity Church, Boston, by the Military 
Order of the Loyal Legion. In the army Colonel 
Candler was most widely known as an Aide on 
the staff of General Hooker. In the resolutions 
passed at the time it was most truthfully said that 
"To us who knew him well it is saying but little 
of a career which was so distinguished as Colonel 

[ 62 ] 



Candler's, that he was a most gallant, intelligent 
and conspicuous figure through all the vicissitudes 
of the campaigns of the Third Corps, sharing with 
fortitude the disasters and contributing to its 
glories." 

Colonel Candler entered the service as First 
Lieutenant, First Massachusetts, in 1861; was 
promoted Captain and A. A. G. in 1862; Brevet 
Major, March 1865, for gallantry at Fair Oaks; 
Lieutenant Colonel in 1865 for gallant conduct 
at Antietam and Colonel for same at Chancellors- 
ville. 

Another death in March of this year, was that 
of General Hiram Berdan, He was without any 
military training but was a noted rifleman, at the 
outbreak of the war, and conceived the idea of 
enlisting a regiment of experts, to be armed with 
target rifles, and used as sharp shooters. The 
First Regiment was easily raised, a company from 
each of the states being the first idea, but so many 
recruits appeared that some states furnished two. 
This led to the Second Regiment which was never 
recruited above eight companies. Once in Wash- 
ington Colonel Berdan modified his plan and 
besieged the War Department for breech loading 
rifles. His persistency was so great that he made 
himself a terror to the department, but he finally 
obtained Colt's revolving rifles which nearly caused 
a mutiny in the regiments, as they had been 
promised Sharps. The Second Regiment, how- 
ever, compromised on the promise that the Sharps 
would come later and was attached to General 
McDowell, while the First went to the Peninsula. 
Could the history of all these companies be told 

f 63 1 



it would fill several volumes. At Chancellorsville 
and Gettysburg they did remarkable service, for 
which Berdan was brevetted Brigadier and Major 
General. He was mustered out after the latter 
fight because of his failure to obtain the appoint- 
ment of Brigadier. 

The dinner at Willard's was in every way a 
success. A poem by David Graham Adee entitled 
Gettysburg and inscribed to the survivors of the 
Corps was read. A single verse will give an idea 
of the quality: — 

"Twas the third day of the fight 
And the guns upon our right 
Were booming shot and shell 
And we heard the Rebel yell, 
When in front of his command. 
With his brave sword in his hand, 
Amid flaming fires of hell 
That our gallant leader fell, 
At Gettysburg." 

Unfortunately for the meter it was the second 
day instead of the third that witnessed the scene 
he embalmed in verse. 

The meeting in Hadley, the birthplace of 
General Hooker, on the sixth of May, 1895, the 
fifth falling on Sunday, would take quite a book 
to describe thoroughly. The most thorough prep- 
arations were made for it by committees, both the 
local and those in New York and Boston. In the 
latter place it was conceived and from there most 
of the work was done that resulted in procuring 
a life size portrait of the General, painted by 
Harvey Young, that was presented to the Town of 

[ (54 1 



Hadley. It was in every way satisfactory as a 
likeness and a work of art and will grace the 
Town Hall for many years to come and help to add 
another chapter of patriotism to those already 
written in the history of that ancient and beauti- 
ful town. A bronze tablet was also placed on the 
house in which the General was born, and which 
unfortunately was burned April 6, 1898. 

The extraordinary expense to be incurred re- 
quiring the raising of quite a sum of money and 
from every quarter, in sums from a dollar up, 
there was realized the amount of twenty-six hun- 
dred dollars and a little over. An immense tent 
was provided, in which the exercises were held, 
and probably up to that time this little town had 
never seen such an immense gathering. 

The exercises opened Monday evening with a 
Camp Fire by the Grand Army, in the Northamp- 
ton Opera House. On Tuesday morning between 
seven and eight the men fell in behind the division 
and brigade flags that had been provided for this 
occasion, and escorted by W. L. Baker Post, of the 
Grand Army of Northampton, numbering one 
hundred and sixty men, St. Joseph's band of 
twenty-two pieces, Company I, Second Regiment 
M. V. M., Agricultural College Cadets, with their 
band of sixteen pieces, and the Meadow City drum 
corps of twenty pieces, they paraded the streets of 
Northampton. There were about one hundred 
and twenty-five Third Corps men in the column, 
led by General Chauncey McKeever, followed by 
General Sickles, General Tremain and the ladies 
of the party in carriages. The rear of the column 
was brought up by Edwin L. Stanton Post of 

\ 65 1 



Amherst. At the station a train of ten cars was 
waiting to convey them to Hadley, with the excep- 
tion of those in carriages, who took the dehghtful 
country drive. The ladies were Mrs. T. R. 
Mathews and Miss Kennard, Mrs. G. W. West, 
Miss Sylvester, Mrs. Cook, Miss Welling, Mrs. 
Lucy Berry Snow. 

Other than Third Corps men there were no 
distinguished officers. There were, however, 
brought together for the first time Cadet Heintzle- 
man, a grandson of General Heintzleman, Mr. 
Hiram Berry Snow, a grandson of General Berry 
who was killed at Chancellorsville, and Colonel 
Joseph Hooker Wood, a nephew of General 
Hooker. These all joined the Union, the first 
two as life members. 

Arriving at Hadley the column was reinforced 
by the following organizations: — Second Regiment 
Band from Springfield, and Posts E. K. Wilcox, 
Kilpatrick, George C. Strong and Charles C. Smith. 
Thence through the broad, elm-shaded street of old 
Hadley they passed to the great tent that was sup- 
posed to seat thirty-five hundred people, but was 
too small to accommodate the crowd. 

After "attention" had been sounded by the 
bugler the prayer was made by Comrade Reverend 
St. John Chambre. Comrade Orville W. Prouty 
of the Selectmen of Hadley welcomed us to the 
town and the President, Major William Plimley, 
responded. General John W. Kimball gave the 
welcome to Massachusetts after which there was 
music by the Glee Club of Hopkins Academy and 
a poem by Comrade J. Howard Jewett. Gen- 
eral H. E. Tremain then gave the address upon the 

[ 66 ] 



life and service of General Hooker, a scholarly and 
carefully prepared eulogy that has since been 
printed with other writings of the author. Gen- 
eral Sickles presented the portrait of General 
Hooker, in a lengthy address, mostly reminiscent 
and personal and the picture was accepted by Dr. 
Franklin Bonney, in behalf of the town. It is 
needless to say that all of these proceedings are a 
volume in themselves, to say nothing of the articles 
in the newspapers of the day brought forth by the 
occasion, not in Massachusetts alone, but also in 
New York and Pennsylvania. 

The dinner was served in the Northampton 
City Hall and was only a great continuation of 
the ceremonies in the tent, all and everything 
being in memory of Hooker. 

It was from the initiative of this meeting that 
came the effort that culminated in the appropria- 
tion of fifty thousand dollars and the erection of 
the statue of Hooker, by the Commonwealth, on 
the grounds adjoining the State House in Boston, 
in June, 1903. 

The officers elected at Hadley were Captain 
Isaac P. Gragg, President and General James F. 
Rusling, Vice President. 

The meeting of 1896 was held in Portland, 
Maine, on the twenty-fourth of June. The ad- 
journment to that later date was out of deference 
to the eastern climate. Of this meeting it can 
truthfully be said, not alone that no other was more 
enjoyable, but that the business end of it was 
longer than any on record. This is accounted for 
by the fact that a thorough revision of the con- 
stitution and by-laws had been made in the year 

[ 67 1 



and every article was taken up and discussed 
"seriatim". This is the constitution that we have 
with our present roster, the most complete 
and satisfactory that has ever been made and 
which will remain so to the end; the work of 
Captain Gragg. In addition there was the report 
of the committee that memorialized the Common- 
wealth of Massachusetts for the appropriation just 
spoken of. This report acknowledged the obliga- 
tions they were under to General Francis A. 
Walker of the Second Corps, General George A. 
Andrews, U. S. A. retired, Hon. Charles Carleton 
Coffin, the well known war correspondent and 
author. Colonel Henry Stone, formerly of the staff 
of General Thomas, Colonel Henry S. Russell and 
ex-Governor Boutwell. 

Letters were read from the Selectmen of Hadley 
communicating a vote of thanks by the Selectmen 
for the portrait presented, and the whole financial 
question consequent upon that meeting was pre- 
sented and discussed, following the report of the 
chairman. General Mathews. Without quoting 
the report fully it will be of interest to note the 
salient points. The first estimate of the expense 
of the meeting was twenty-five hundred dollars, 
but after visiting Hadley and mapping out the 
campaign it was decided that five thousand dollars 
were needed. It was proposed to raise this amount 
as follows: — One thousand from members of the 
Union; two from the fourteen thousand comrades 
outside the Union, one from Citizens of Massachu- 
setts and one from New York. The result was 
fourteen hundred and fifty from the Union, seven 
hundred and twenty-five from outsiders, eight hun- 

[ 68 ] 



dred and eighty-five from Massachusetts, one hun- 
dred and seventy from New York, and four hun- 
dred from other sources. The members of the 
Union did all that was expected of them and more, 
the others failed. "We left Hadley (says the 
report) nearly seventeen hundred dollars to the 
bad, but on a second and third appeal by circular, 
to such comrades as we could reach, the deficit 
has been reduced to five hundred and fifty dollars. " 
The committee asked to be continued that it 
might, if possible, secure that deficiency. 

A resolution was presented by Major Plimley 
which is of sufficient interest to warrant repro- 
ducing in full: — 

"Whereas, There is a vacancy in the position 
of Medical Director of the Soldiers' Home of 
Hampton, Virginia, which belongs most clearly to 
a soldier and medical officer of the late war, and 

"Whereas, We have one, a member of our 
association, who is by education, experience in the 
army and in subsequent life as a physician and 
surgeon, amply qualified for the position, 

" Resolved, That we present to General Wil- 
liam J. Sewall, one of the Directors of said home, 
the name of our honored Secretary, Surgeon 
Edward Livingston Welling, as well fitted in every 
way for the place, and urge upon General Sewall 
the appointment as being not only the wish of the 
association, but the wish of men both in and out 
of the Third Army Corps." 

Another resolution voted with enthusiasm was 
in favor of memorializing the Legislature of Maine 

[ 69 ] 



for an appropriation to erect a statue of General 
Hiram Berry. 

Eleven new members were elected and Colonel 
Edward Moore was elected President. Bosworth 
Post kindly gave the use of its hall for the meet- 
ing. In the afternoon a drive around the shore 
road and through Cape Elizabeth was taken and 
at six o'clock the men marched to the wharf, accom- 
panied by a band to meet the steamer from New 
York and welcome General Sickles and party. 
With him were General Tremain, Colonel Foote, 
Major Conway and Major Lovell Purdy. The 
General made a happy speech from his carriage 
before the procession started for the hotel. 

The next day there was an excursion down 
Casco Bay, a reception by the Mayor at the City 
Hall, and the dinner in the evening, at the Sea 
Shore House, Old Orchard Beach, closed the cele- 
bration. General Miles being in Portland at the 
time, was a guest at the dinner, as were also Gen- 
eral Chamberlain and the Hon. T. B. Reed. 

In the year 1897 a rather startling move was 
made in holding the meeting in Virginia. It is 
believed that that meeting was the first one held 
within what had been the lines of the Confederacy 
since the close of the war, by any body of North- 
ern soldiers. But while within the limits of Vir- 
ginia it was upon soil that had not been surren- 
dered and where we were among friends and com- 
rades. That place was Old Point Comfort (Fortress 
Monroe). The choice was made because of the 
appointment of Colonel Welling to the position for 
which the meeting of the previous year recom- 
mended him, perhaps also because he was very ill 

[ 70 ] 



and unable to travel, so that all things considered 
no better choice could have been made. 

The weather was all that could be desired; the 
Chamberlin was a hotel not only beautifully situ- 
ated in the center of historic interest, but offering 
every luxury and ample accommodations. The 
comrades came by rail and by steamer, in large 
numbers, and many brought their wives and chil- 
dren as never before. Among these were General 
Sickles and his charming daughter, but lately from 
Spain, General C. H. T. Collis, General Tremain, 
Colonels Leonard, Lakin, Moore, General Mc- 
Keever, General and Mrs. Mathews, Major and 
Mrs. Shreve, Chaplain Twichell and daughter. 
Captain C. W. Wilson, Surgeon Janvrin, wife and 
son, and many others quite as well known, but 
who in the absence of a list of names must remain 
unmentioned. 

During the two days spent in that pleasant land 
there were excursions to the battle field of Williams- 
burg, to Hampton, to the Soldiers' Home where we 
met Colonel Welling, who was unable to come to the 
meeting, as well as to the old town of Williams- 
burg, fascinating in its history, in the buildings 
about which clings the memory of Washington and 
so many revered and honored names, in its college 
and its church. As we recall the occasion it is 
to wish we might go there once more, although, 
alas! how changed would be the company! 

At the business meeting Colonel Moore was 
re-elected President. The Hadley committee made 
a final report, in which they had to confess their 
inability to raise the balance of the sum needed. 
"After spending one hundred and fifty dollars and 

[ 71 ] 



making strenuous efforts they have been able to 
raise only sufficient to pay the expense incurred 
and reduce the deficit to four hundred and eighty- 
eight dollars." 

Notice having been given of the intention it was 
moved that the sum be appropriated out of the 
Permanent Fund. An amendment was made that 
as there was but three hundred and fifteen dollars 
cash in the fund, that sum be substituted for 
the one asked for. This was accepted. General 
Collis moved that "A paper be passed among the 
members present to raise if possible the diff^erence 
of one hundred and sixty-five dollars." In this 
manner ninety dollars was secured. How the rest 
was provided nowhere appears, but the invested 
permanent fund was not encroached upon. 

Among the deaths of members announced was 
that of General John C. Robinson, U. S. A. and 
the following resolutions were offered: — (Extract) 
"On February eighteenth, 1897, John C. Robinson 
a member of this association, departed this life at 
the advanced age of eighty years. Fifty-eight of 
these had been employed in the service of the 
country, as an officer of the army. To the Third 
Corps he brought the advantage of his education 
at West Point and his experience in the Mexican 
War, his campaigns against the Indians in Texas 
in 1853 to 1856, and against the Seminoles in 
Florida. When assigned as Brigadier General to 
the command of a Brigade in the Third Corps, 
he had already earned the gratitude of the nation 
for the stubborn and inflexible loyalty displayed 
at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, and his soldierly 
qualities had been recognized in the discipline and 

[ 72 ] 



efficiency of the First Michigan Volunteers, of 
which he was the Colonel. 

"His career upon the Peninsula and his whole 
record with the Third Corps, culminating at 
Fredericksburg on December thirteenth, 1862, has 
added lustre to our history and contributed largely 
to our fame. 

"Though he left us because he was promoted 
to higher command in the First Corps, he always 
cherished a warm affection for the men who had 
served with Heintzleman, Hooker and Sickles, and 
he was always glad to feel that his training with 
us served him well when called upon to defend 
Oak Ridge, at Gettysburg, on the first of the three 
days' memorable fighting, under Reynolds. Not 
until, in the heat of the battle and the front of it, 
where he gave a limb to his country, did he retire 
from a contest to which his whole soul was de- 
voted. 

"In civil life he became Commander in Chief 
of the Grand Army of the Republic and President 
of the Society of the Army of the Potomac, honors 
meritoriously won by faithful service. 

"We claim the right to mingle our tears with 
those of his surviving family, whose bereavement 
is no more keen than our own." 

John Cleveland Robinson graduated from West 
Point in the class of 1838; was promoted First 
Lieutenant and Captain by 1850 and Colonel of 
the First Michigan Infantry in 1861; Brigadier 
General U. S. V. 1862; Major Second Infantry 
1862; Colonel Forty-third Infantry 1866; retired 
Major General 1869; Brevet Lieutenant Colonel 
1863 for services at Gettysburg; Colonel 1864 for 

[ 73 ] 



the Wilderness; Brigadier General 1865 for Spott- 
sylvania; Major General for services during the 
war; medal of honor for gallantry at Laurel Hill, 
Va., May 1864, placing himself at the head of his 
leading Brigade in a charge upon the works of 
the enemy, where he was wounded while serving 
as Brigadier General, commanding Second Divi- 
sion, Fifth Corps. 

Other deaths announced were those of Lieu- 
tenant Benjamin S. Calef, of the Second Sharp 
Shooters and the staff of General Birney, and 
Lieutenant Daniel F. Brown, Eighty-sixth New 
York. Seven new members were admitted and as 
an innovation owing to the illness of the Secre- 
tary, his daughter, Louise Russell Welling, was 
elected as Assistant Secretary. 

At the dinner in the evening between sixty and 
seventy were present. Colonel Frank, command- 
ing Fortress Monroe, and Mrs. Frank, were among 
the guests. Invitations were extended to the 
Governor of Virginia and the Mayor of Norfolk, 
both of whom declined. The Mayor had, in a 
letter to Colonel Welling, previously accepted the 
invitation, but at the last moment declined. Al- 
though depending upon home talent for the 
speeches there was no lack of enthusiasm and 
General CoUis added much to the amusement of 
the dinner by singing some Irish songs. 

When the comrades left Old Point they scat- 
tered in many ways, some going up the James to 
Richmond and on to Fredericksburg and Wash- 
ington to visit the city towards which their faces 
had been turned for so many months without see- 
ing more than the church spires, and the familiar 

[ 74 ] 



places, memorable for battles and camps, for 
much hardship, and many never to be forgotten 
scenes and pleasures. 

The meeting of 1897 must ever be recalled, so 
long as memory goes back to such days, as the 
summit and crown of all our reunions. 

There was no meeting in 1898 but for what 
reason is not now recalled. The announcement 
said that as it was considered best to meet at a later 
date, Gettysburg had been recommended as the 
place. 

The meeting of 1899 was held at Hotel Man- 
hattan in New York. General Thomas B. 
Mathews was elected President and Chaplain 
Joseph H. Twichell the Vice President. The re- 
cords are notable for the number of deaths that were 
reported since the last meeting, two years before. 
Colonel Moore, President, elected first at Port- 
land and again at Fortress Monroe, died in January, 
1899, at his home in Portland. In 1862 he re- 
ceived a commission as Second Lieutenant of the 
Seventeenth Maine and was mustered out as Lieu- 
tenant Colonel of the Regiment in '65. His mili- 
tary record is the record of the Seventeenth Maine, 
through all the battles of the Third Corps and the 
Army of the Potomac. After the war he was 
elected a member of the Maine Legislature and 
was active in establishing the Gettysburg Com- 
mission and securing the erection of monuments 
to the several regiments that fought there. His 
address at the dedication of his own is the best 
history of its service, and may be found in the 
volume of Maine at Gettysburg, published by the 
commission. 

[ 75 ] 



Another and no less memorable death was that 
of Colonel Welling, who had served the Union 
since 1864. He died at his home in Pennington, 
N. J., whither he had been carried from the Sol- 
diers' Home, Hampton, in the last days of his ill- 
ness. The resolutions presented at the meeting, 
are not found, but his eulogy is the record of the 
Third Corps Union, that he loved with a devotion 
passing that of any other comrade. A subscrip- 
tion was made to erect a monument to his memory 
and the sum of three hundred and thirty dollars 
was raised for that purpose. It was an obelisk of 
Barre granite, seven feet and five inches high, 
with the name Welling on the face and the Corps 
Badge at the top. A bronze tablet inserted gave 
the following record: — "Surgeon of the Third 
New Jersey Volunteer Regiment, June twenty- 
fifth, 1 86 1. Surgeon of the Eleventh New Jersey 
Volunteer Regiment, July nineteenth, 1862. Sur- 
geon in charge of Third Corps Hospitals, after the 
battle of Fredericksburg, Va. Secretary of the 
Third Army Corps Union for thirty-three years. 
Surgeon in chief of the National Guard, State of 
New Jersey. Medical Director of the National 
Soldiers' Home, Hampton, Virginia." A smaller 
tablet bore the legend, "Erected by the members 
of the Third Army Corps Union, 1900." 

Another loss was that of General Albert Ord- 
way, who while not an active member of the Union 
was well known to most of the comrades and had 
actively worked to make our meetings in Washing- 
ton successful. General Ordway was born in Bos- 
ton and when the war came was commissioned as 
First Lieutenant of the Twenty-fourth Massachu- 

[ 76 ] 



setts Regiment. He was Adjutant General on the 
staff of General Henry Prince, when in command 
of the Second Division of the Third Corps. He 
returned to his regiment after the Mine Run 
campaign and was attached to the staff of General 
Alfred Terry, commanding the Tenth Corps. He 
was elected Colonel of his regiment when but 
twenty-one years of age and was in command at 
Bermuda Hundred in 1864. After the war he 
commanded the Militia of the District of Colum- 
bia. He was buried with military honors in the 
Arlington Cemetery. 

Yet another was General De Trobriand who al- 
though not well known at any of the meetings after 
the war, will be remembered as prominent in the 
early history of the Union and one of the few 
general officers of the Corps who were with its 
remnants at the close of the conflict. At the 
great review in Washington he commanded a 
brigade of the Division commanded by General 
Mott, that is thus eulogized by General Francis 
A. Walker. 

"And now, under Gershom Mott, advances the 
last division of the great infantry column, made 
up of the survivors of the magnificent divisions 
of Kearny and Hooker. Its three brigades, under 
De Trobriand, Pierce and McAllister, tried in the 
fire of more than thirty battles, comprise a wealth 
of courage and discipline never surpassed in the 
history of the war. These are the men of Wil- 
liamsburg and Seven Pines, of Glendale and Bris- 
tow Station, of Manassas and Chantilly, of Chan- 
cellorsville and the Peach Orchard, of Gettysburg; 
who on the opening of the campaign of sixty-four, 

[ 77 1 



leaving their old associations with passionate 
regret, carried into their new relation the same 
devoted loyalty, the same fiery yet steadfast 
courage, which had made the name of the Third 
Corps the synonym of soldierly virtue." 

Count Phillippe Regis De Trobriand came to 
America in 1841. He was editing the Revue de 
Nouveau Monde and the Courier des Etats Unis in 
1 86 1. He was made Colonel of the fifty-fifth 
New York in 1861; and the following year trans- 
ferred to the Thirty-eighth and mustered out in 
November of 1863. Brigadier General in 1864, 
Brevet Major General in 1865 for highly meritori- 
ous services in the last campaign, terminating 
with the surrender of the insurgent army under 
General Lee, Colonel of the Thirty-first Infan- 
try in 1866; of the Thirteenth in 1869, retired 
May 1879. H^s book, " Four Years with the Army 
of the Potomac," written in French and published 
in Paris, is most interesting but seldom referred 
to as an authority by later writers. 

As this meeting adjourned it was with the 
expectation that the Hooker monument, in Boston 
would be ready to dedicate in 1901, and Captain 
Gragg was assigned to bring all the influence 
possible on the committee in charge, to have the 
ceremony on the fifth of May. 

In 1900 the meeting was in Gettysburg. It was 
a large gathering and there were many ladies and 
gentlemen who were not members of the society. 
General Hobart Ward and Colonel Walker of the 
Fourth Maine, the oldest living member of the 
Union and probably of the Corps, were especially 
welcomed as strangers at our meetings. General 

[ 78 ] 



Collis had but lately finished a house on Seminary 
Ridge, close to the Confederate line, that he named 
"Red Patch", where he entertained lavishly dur- 
ing the two days of the reunion. Both riding and 
walking parties explored the battlefield, with and 
without guides, and the utmost enjoyment was 
expressed by all as the result. The Gettysburg 
Commission, consisting of General Sickles, Colonel 
Nicholson, and Major Robin of the Confederate 
Army, were present and in many places gave talks 
of their experiences and explained the special 
features of many localities. 

Chaplain Joseph H. Twichell was chosen Presi- 
dent and General McKeever, Vice President. 
Captain William H. Howard was elected Secre- 
tary. Six new members were admitted and the 
death of eight was announced. Among them was 
General George H. Sharpe, who was President of 
the Union in 1875 and '76. He was a Captain in 
the Twentieth Militia, Colonel of the One Hun- 
dred and Twentieth New York in 1862; Brevet 
Brigadier General in 1864; Major General in 1865. 
He was for a long period the Assistant Provost 
Marshall of the Army of the Potomac, on the staff 
of the General commanding the army. 

Another was General George W. West, Colonel 
of the Seventeenth Maine. He was brevetted Bri- 
gadier in December of 1864 for his services in the 
Wilderness. After the war special Pension Ex- 
aminer for the District of New York. 

Another, Henry John Madill, Major of the 
Sixth Pennsylvania Reserves and Colonel of the 
One hundred and forty-first in 1862; Brevet Briga- 
dier in 1864 for services before Petersburg and 

[ 79 ] 



Major General in 1 865. The names of others were 
Major Edward T. Rowell of the Second Sharp 
Shooters; Captain James K. Holmes of the One 
Hundred and Twentieth New York; Captain 
William J. Kay of the Seventieth New York and 
Assistant Surgeons W. S. Lamb of the Eighth and 
George T. Ribble of the Eleventh New Jersey 
regiments. 

A resolution was presented by General Tremain 
expressing appreciation of the work done by the 
Gettysburg Park Commission and requesting Con- 
gress to make liberal appropriation for the continu- 
ance of the work. 

The dinner was served at the Hotel Gettysburg, 
at which General Mathews presided. While it 
left much to be desired the enthusiasm made 
amends for other deficiencies and the speeches 
of Generals Sickles, Ward, Collis and others and 
a poem by the daughter of Captain Foote, were 
a most satisfactory ending of the reunion. 

In 1901 the meeting was in Hartford, Con- 
necticut. General Tremain was elected President 
and General McKeever, Vice President. The 
report of the Committee on the monument to 
Colonel Welling showed a deficit of one hundred 
and seventy-two dollars, and asked that it be pro- 
vided for from the funds of the society. The 
attempt to pay the sum from the Permanent Fund 
failed of approval and it was provided for out of 
the Contingent Fund with the aid of a few addi- 
tional subscriptions. 

Three new members were elected and the death 
of three announced. 

General Joseph Hooker Wood, who joined the 

[ 80 1 



Union at Hadley, was a private in the Second U. S. 
Cavalry in 1863, promoted to Second Lieutenant 
of the Sixth and made Major of the Fifteenth New 
York in 1863. In 1865 he was Lieutenant Colonel 
of the Second New York Mounted Rifles and in 
1864 First Lieutenant of the Sixth U. S. Cavalry. 
He was brevetted for gallantry at Gettysburg and 
in the campaigns against the Sioux Indians. 

General John Ramsey was Captain of the Fifth 
New Jersey in 1861, Major in the following year 
and Colonel of the Eighth New Jersey in 1863. 
Brevetted Brigadier and Major General in sixty- 
four and five. Surgeon Robert V. K. Montfort 
was of the One Hundred and twenty-fourth New 
York and after the war a conspicuous citizen of 
Newburg, where he served as Superintendent of 
the Public Schools for thirty years. 

The dinner at the Allyn House was most en- 
joyable. The guests were Generals Hawley, 
Dwight, Greene, and Admiral Bunce. A quartette 
of the Yale Glee Club enlivened the occasion, in 
addition to the orchestra. 

On the following day those who remained were 
taken, by invitation of Colonel Albert Pope, in 
automobiles to his factory and shown over the 
premises by his son. One feature of the occasion 
was the turning out of the fire brigade by giving 
an unexpected alarm. On the return trip a stop 
was made at the State House where we were re- 
ceived by the Governor and introduced by Gen- 
eral Sickles. Possibly this was the first time manv 
of us had ridden in automobiles, certainly the first 
when they had been offered to us as a body. 

In 1902 the meeting was in New York. Gen- 

[ 81 1 



eral Tremain was re-elected and General O'Beirne 
was elected Vice President. The deaths of Gen- 
eral Chauncey McKeever, General William J. Sew- 
all, General Butterfield and Colonel John Leonard, 
were announced. 

General McKeever had been one of the Vice- 
Presidents and a frequenter of the meetings. He 
graduated from West Point in 1845 ^^^ ^^^ 
reached the rank of First Lieutenant of Artillery 
in 1 86 1 when he was appointed Captain and A. A. 
G. He was promoted through the several grades, 
remaining an Adjutant General and serving not- 
ably with General McDowell. He was brevetted 
Colonel and Brigadier and after the war was at 
the War Department in Washington, retiring in 

William Joyce Sewall was Captain of the Fifth 
New Jersey in 1861 and subsequently Lieutenant 
Colonel and Colonel, resigning to become Colonel 
of the Thirty-eighth in 1864. He was brevetted 
Brigadier and Major General and received the 
medal of honor for his services at Chancellorsville. 

Colonel Leonard was a private in the Regular 
Army in 1861 and became a Captain in the Seventy- 
second New York and filled the grades to Lieuten- 
ant Colonel in 1863. He was Captain in the Vet- 
eran Reserve Corps and Lieutenant in the Forty- 
third U. S. Infantry, receiving brevets for Fred- 
ericksburg and Gettysburg. He was retired in 
1870. He was a native of Ireland. 

Other deaths were Major Chesney Manning, 
U. S. A. who had been Sergeant Major of the First 
Massachusetts; Philip A. Woodfin, Governor of 
the Soldiers' Home at Hampton, who became a 

[ 82 ] 



member at our meeting at Fortress Monroe; Cap- 
tain David M. Watt; Surgeon G. D. O'Farrell; 
Major Charles C. Jones and Lieutenant James H. 
Lockwood. 

The account of the Treasurer showed a deficit 
and the propriety of using the Permanent Fund 
again came up for discussion. It being preferred 
to a committee for consideration, it reported: 
"That no purpose to which it could be devoted 
would give more satisfaction than its use in de- 
fraying the expenses of the annual meetings." 

The meeting of 1903 was held in Boston on 
the twenty-sixth of June. If there was a meeting 
of the Directors on the fifth of May it was not 
recorded. Elaborate preparations were made by 
the local committee but the Corps meeting and 
dinner were swallowed up by the presence of the 
Army of the Potomac Society. 

There was a misunderstanding as to the busi- 
ness meeting, many of the comrades expecting it 
would be held in Faneuil Hall, but the Secretary 
and several of the Directors met at the Bellevue, 
the headquarters of the Corps, and in the absence 
of both President and Vice, were called to order 
by Major Shreve, who presided. General Tre- 
main was re-elected and Mr.W. E.Cloudmanmade 
Vice President, the first enlisted man to hold the 
position. 

The Secretary announced the deaths of General 
Collis, Captain W. P. Drury and Colonel Stoughton. 
General Charles H. T. Collis was born in Ireland. 
From the captaincy of an independent company 
of Zouaves, in 1861, he became Colonel of the One 
hundred and fourteenth Pennsylvania in 1862, 

[ s;3 ] 



Brevet Brigadier General in 1864 and Major 
General in 1865. He was awarded the medal of 
honor for gallantry at Fredericksburg. His regi- 
ment is remembered principally because it was 
uniformed as Zouaves and detailed at the head- 
quarters of General Birney at Sulphur Springs in 
1863, and afterwards at those of General Meade. 
It had a band and that attracted many by its con- 
certs and dress parades. It saw some fighting 
later around Petersburg and had established its 
reputation at Gettysburg, Fredericksburg and 
Chancellorsville. In civil life General CoUis was 
Solicitor of Philadelphia, and for fifteen years 
director of that city's trusts. He removed later 
to New York where he became Commissioner of 
Public Works under Mayor Strong. His burial 
was, at his own request, at Gettysburg. 

Colonel Homer R. Stoughton was Lieutenant 
Colonel of the Second Sharp Shooters, having 
raised a company, of which he was Captain, in 
Vermont, and afterwards promoted Major and 
Lieutenant Colonel, and would have been a full 
Colonel had the regiment not been reduced to 
such numbers as to prevent muster. His defence 
of our left, in skirmishing in front of Round Top 
at Gettysburg, was considered of great value and 
later drew the praise of Colonel W. C. Gates of 
the Fifteenth Alabama, who confronted him. He 
was twice a prisoner of war. After the war he 
returned for a time to his old occupation of rail- 
roading with the Central Vermont, living in 
Randolph, where he was postmaster. In 1886 he 
was Vice President and General Manager of the 
Shelby Iron Company in Alabama, and in 1892 

[ 84 ] 



went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he was in the 
real estate business. He was known as an active 
worker in the Sunday Schools wherever he lived. 

William P. Drury was Lieutenant in the First 
Massachusetts and Captain in the Sixty-tirst. 
After the war he was lor fifteen years the Chief 
of Police in Chelsea, Mass. 

Among those who attended this meeting was 
Colonel George E. Randolph, a member of the 
first Board of Directors. No one recognized him 
until he introduced himself. Since the war he had 
lived in Denver, which will account for this. The 
Union selected him to represent the Third Corps 
in the Potomac Society, as its Vice President. 

After the business meeting we adjourned to 
Faneuil Hall, where the Potomac Society was in 
session, and after its adjournment a sail down 
the harbor was arranged, for those who cared for 
the water, and stops were made at several of the 
Islands and forts, in the evening the dinner was 
served at the Somerset, and although the largest 
room to be had, it was so crowded that many 
could not obtain admittance. 

The following day was devoted to the exercises 
of the Hooker monument. It is enough to say 
that it was a distinguished success, in every way, 
and honored by the presence of many distin- 
guished soldiers and civilians. The veteran divi- 
sion was led by our comrade Captain William A. 
Smith and the body of Hooker men by another. 
Major Henry. A full account of the celebration 
was published by the Commonwealth. 

It is well to allude here to one regrettable inci- 
dent that was a sequel to the occasion in the fol- 

[ 85 1 



lowing year, an incident that was magnified 
beyond all propriety. The monument committee 
composed largely of Third Corps men, had secured 
the placing of a bronze tablet on the monument, 
reciting the record of General Hooker. At one of 
the meetings, when the wording that was to pre- 
cede the record was being considered, a gentleman 
who was not a member but who had been asked 
by its chairman to represent him upon that occa- 
sion, proposed a certain form that caused some 
friction and the Third Corps men withdrew and 
the stranger carried the day. After the dedication 
some critic found fault with the stops and dashes, as 
well as to the implied statement that Hooker ever 
was of the Third Corps himself. This some of the 
men seized upon as an excuse for having the 
tablet removed, utterly ignoring the fact that by 
such action they destroyed all visible connection 
of the Corps with the monument and deprived it 
of the glory of having been instrumental in its 
erection. 

In 1904 the meeting was at the Manhattan, as 
have been all of them since. This was the forti- 
eth annual meeting. Reverend James Boyle was 
chosen President and Captain H. P. Ramsdell, 
Vice President. The President had been second 
Lieutenant of the Thirty-seventh New York, 
entering the church after the war. The deaths 
of the year were General Hobart Ward, Major 
George W. Cooney, Sidney L. Wilson, George B. 
White. 

John Henry Hobart Ward was a non-commis- 
sioned officer in the Seventh Infantry in the Mexi- 
can War. He was Colonel of the Thirty-eighth 

f 86 1 



New York in 1861, and Brigadier General in 1862. 
His entire service was with the Third Corps and he 
was perhaps the best known officer in the division. 
After the fight at Spottsylvania he was mustered 
out because of conduct attributed to him at the 
Wilderness, on the fifth of May. No braver sol- 
dier ever drew sword. He held the office after the 
war of Clerk in the Superior Court. His death 
was the result of a railroad accident. 

Major George W. Cooney was the commissary 
on the staff of General Ward. In 1861 he was 
a captain in the Thirty-eighth New York and 
Regimental Quartermaster. He was appointed a 
commissary of subsistence in 1862 and resigned in 
May, 1865. Those who remember him will pic- 
ture a more than usually handsome, dashing offi- 
cer, with a fine voice that whiled away many a 
lonely hour. 

At the meeting in 1905, Sergeant Major Wil- 
liam H. Cloudman was elected President and Cap- 
tain C. W. Wilson, Vice-President. The deaths 
during this year were General Joseph Dickinson, 
Colonel Elijah Walker, Major John B. Fassitt, and 
Captain Bernard J. Reid. 

General Dickinson was First Lieutenant and 
Adjutant of the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania in 
1861 and appointed a captain and A. A. G. the 
same year. He was promoted through the several 
grades to Brigadier General, and was as many 
times brevetted for his services at Williamsburg, 
Antietam, and Gettysburg. He is best known for 
his association with General Hooker. 

Colonel Walker was, as has before been said, 
the oldest man living, at the time of his death, 

f 87 1 



of any in the Corps. His age was eighty-seven 
years. He raised a company for the Fourth Maine 
Regiment in 1861 and was promoted through all 
the grades to Colonel, in July, 1864, ^^id was mus- 
tered out with the regiment. He claimed to have 
been present with his command in every battle and 
skirmish except that of Wapping Heights. He was 
four times wounded, but absent only on that 
account ninety-six days after Gettysburg. He had 
two horses shot under him and as many more 
wounded. This was the regiment originally com- 
manded by Hiram G. Berry and when it was 
mustered out the colonel, chaplain and one cap- 
tain (who was a prisoner) were the only repre- 
sentatives of the original officers. Colonel Walker 
commanded the brigade on many occasions, not- 
ably at Gettysburg, being stationed in the Devil's 
Den, but he was not recognized by brevet for 
services, as were many who deserved less. He was 
a builder and carpenter before the war and after 
the war was over he settled in Somerville, Mass. 
and resumed his trade. He was a member of the 
Common Council in that town, and Inspector of 
Buildings for some years. 

James Barclay Fassitt was one of the staunch 
supporters of the Corps Union, at one time its 
President, many times on the Board, always the 
member of some committee and has left with us 
the memory of a most genial comrade and friend. 
He originally enlisted as private in the Twenty- 
third Pennsylvania, General Birney's regiment, 
whose staff he joined with the rank of A. A. D. C. 
At the opening of the Grant campaign he returned 
to his regiment and did not participate in that 



movement. As before told, he was given a medal 
of honor many years after the war. 

President Boyle in retiring presented the society 
with a silk headquarters flag, with the names of 
the Corps battles thereon and three division flags, 
all enclosed in an oak case. They were accepted 
with as much surprise as pleasure, and many ex- 
pressions of gratitude, as well as a series of reso- 
lutions, and have graced our dinners every year 
since. 

At the dinner, at which there were about one 
hundred. General Tremain entertained many 
members of his old regiment and presented every 
one with a copy of his new book, "Two Days of 
War." Colonel John McCook was among the 
after dinner speakers. 

The meeting of 1906 was called to order by 
President Cloudman who came from the far west, 
as has been his habit for years, to attend the 
gathering. General Sickles was elected President 
once more and Captain Wilson re-elected. The 
deaths announced were Colonel McMichael, Cap- 
tains Tutein, Butler and Vance. 

Clayton McMichael, the son of the well-known 
Morton McMichael, was appointed to the regular 
army and ordered to the staff of General Birney in 
1863, It was the expectation that he would be 
appointed the mustering officer of the division, as 
at the time only regular officers were eligible to 
the position, but before he arrived from the west 
the rule was modified and a volunteer rattled 
round in the office. He was one of the four staff 
officers who started with Birney in May, 1864, 
and arrived at Petersburg in June. For much of 

[ 89 1 



the time he served as A. A. G. but soon after 
reaching Petersburg he was compelled to leave 
because of sickness and although he returned and 
w^as with General Birney when he went to the 
command of the Tenth Corps, he did not return 
after Birney's death. He was on detached service 
as recruiting officer and resigned in September, 
1865. In civil life in Philadelphia he was a promi- 
nent figure, as his father had been before him. He 
assumed the editorship of the North American, 
was Marshall of the District of Columbia under 
Arthur, Post Master and City Treasurer of Phila- 
delphia and appointed by General Grant one of 
the commissioners to the International Exposition 
at Vienna in 1875. He was ever active in city, 
state and national politics, and had the acquain- 
tance of all the noted men of the day. 

The meeting of 1907 was presided over by Vice 
President Wilson in the absence of General Sickles. 
Captain Wilson was elected President and Captain 
Charles W. Buchanan, Vice President. The death 
roll was a startling one. 

General J. Watts De Peyster, honorary mem- 
ber, was well known as the desired historian of 
the Corps, he having written much of its story 
in detached pamphlets and magazine articles. A 
member of innumerable societies his career was 
embalmed in scores of resolutions and newspapers 
at home and abroad. 

Colonel Moses B. Lakeman of the Third Maine 
was Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colo- 
nel of the Regiment. He served with recognized 
ability and was one of the soldiers of whom the 



90 



Corps need never be ashamed. After the war he 
was in the customs service until his death. 

The others can only be named, although their 
records are every way as worthy: — Colonel N. N. 
Shatswell, First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, 
Colonel John N. Coyne, who had been on the 
Board of Directors and was well remembered for 
his paper on the Battle of Gettysburg, that was 
printed by the Union, Captains James Gillen, 
George S. Follansbee, Lieutenant Samuel Dalton 
and Sergeant Ellis H. Timm. 

For the meeting of 1908 Captain Wilson made 
a stirring appeal that undoubtedly brought out 
some who else had remained away. Lieutenant 
Charles J. Buchanan was elected President and 
Major Thomas Bradley, Vice President. Captain 
Bradley was an old member but had not been an 
attendant at the meetings of the Union, and had 
never held office before. 

The following deaths were announced. Gen- 
eral George W. Mindil was by birth a German. In 
1861 he was Lieutenant and Captain in the 
Twenty-third Pennsylvania, transferred to the 
Sixty-first in 1862. Then Colonel of the Twenty- 
seventh New Jersey, (said to have been the young- 
est colonel in the army.) Brevet Brigadier Gen- 
eral for services during the campaign from Savan- 
nah to Goldsboro, N. C, Major General for ser- 
vices in the battles of Chattanooga, Mission Ridge 
and Mill Creek. Awarded medal of honor for 
having, in June 1863, volunteered the services of 
his regiment after the term of its service had ex- 
pired, and a second medal for services at the battle 



91 



of Williamsburg, May fifth, 1862, while serving 
as aid on the staff of General Kearny. For many 
years after muster out he held a responsible posi- 
tion as examiner of diamonds and precious stones 
in the New York Custom House. 

Major George E. Henry, First Massachusetts 
and Major of the Veteran Reserve Corps headed 
the body of Hooker's men in the celebration of 
unveiling of the monument in Boston. His ser- 
vice was continuous and there was no battle in 
which his command took part that he was not 
conspicuous. He was on the staffs of General 
Carr and General Mott, A. A. G. to General Dent, 
commanding the Washington garrison and later 
at the headquarters of the Freedman's Bureau. 
The length of his service was over six years and 
he retired broken in health and suffering from 
wounds received in action. 

Dr. Armand Duffloo had served on our board 
and was a constant attendant at the meetings. 
He had been Surgeon of the Seventieth New York. 
Both he and General Mindil were at the meeting 
of 1907. 

Others were Colonel Edward R. Bowen of the 
One hundred and fourteenth Pennsylvania; Colo- 
nel Brownell Granger died in Sidney, N. S. where 
he had lived since retiring. From a captaincy in 
the Eleventh Massachusetts he was appointed a 
commissary of subsistence and served on the staff 
of General Hooker for a time, also in the depart- 
ment of the Susquehanna. He was brevetted 
Major. Lieutenant Henry E. Kinsman was Lieu- 
tenant in the First Sharp Shooters; Lieutenant 
Richard Cooper in the Seventh New Jersey. 

[ 92 1 



One of the guests of the dinner was Hon. John 
S. Wise, son of the former Governor and General 
Wise, of Virginia, formerly a Confederate boy 
soldier, his experiences in the army being given 
in his book "The End of an Era", most enter- 
tainingly. He is a most admirable speaker and 
story teller and quite at home with the blue as 
the gray. General King read a poem of which 
the following is a stanza: — 

"Hail to the Chief! Our loving friend, 
May many years be thine; 
We toast thee in our heart of hearts 
And not alone in wine. 
The land for which you fought and bled. 
Will cherish aye your name. 
And write it high among those born 
To everlasting fame." 

The meeting of 1909 was held on May third. 
Chaplain William R. Eastman was named for 
President and Major James H. Everett, Vice 
President. 

The Secretary announced that there had been 
nine deaths during the year. William Conway was 
Lieutenant and Captain of the Seventy-fourth New 
York, Second Lieutenant of the Sixteenth Infan- 
try in 1866 and Captain in 1879. ^^ ^^^ ^^^~ 
vetted for service in the Indian campaign and 
Spring Creek, Montana, in 1876 and retired in 
1894. 

Colonel C. C. Rivers of the Eleventh Massa- 
chusetts saw service from Bull Run to Appomattox, 
had five commissions signed by Governor Andrew, 
was wounded at Gettysburg, commanded a brigade 

f 93 1 



and was never given the credit of a brevet. In 
civil life he was in the Boston Custom House. 

Captain Benjamin Murphy had been President 
of the Union in 1893. He enlisted as private in 
the Eighth New Jersey and was made first Lieu- 
tenant. For many years he was Chief of Police of 
Jersey City. 

Captain William A. Smith was of the First 
Massachusetts. Later he was with the Fortieth. 
Was severely wounded at Drury's Bluff. In the 
Boston celebration he headed the Veteran Division. 

Colonel Charles H. Weygant had been presi- 
dent in 1890 and at the time of the reunion in 
Newburg in 1898 was Mayor of that city. As a 
captain in the regiment known as "The Orange 
Blossoms" he came into prominence at Gettys- 
burg, where the colonel and major of the regiment 
were killed and the lieutenant colonel so severely 
wounded that he was reported among the dead. 
He wrote immediately after the war a history of 
the regiment, the One hundred and twenty-fourth 
New York, a book from which much of value can 
be learned of the movement of the Third Corps. 
Captain Matthew Stewart of the Seventy-third 
New York attended our meetings many years after 
he was reported by our roster as having passed on. 

In making up these saddening notices it is 
nevertheless a matter of regret that there are not 
more details of the lives of the comrades, espe- 
cially after the war. It will not be unnoticed that 
many a name with which some of us are familiar 
has not been mentioned here, but this is rather from 
lack of knowledge than an oversight. One name, 
however, arises to the mind of the compiler of 

f 94 1 



these records as worthy to be included even if 
with an apology. In 1887, there occurred the 
death of General Thomas Washington Eagan of 
the Fortieth New York. His connection with this 
Union was one in name only and yet there was no 
better known officer in the Corps. He was never 
present at our meetings and the excesses of his 
civil life clouded his brilliant record as a soldier, 
yet out of justice to ourselves we should remember 
him as a brave and gallant officer, who served 
through the war, not perhaps to the extent of his 
ability, but who at a critical moment, when in 
command of a division, rose to the demands of 
the occasion with such sagacity that he compelled 
the plaudits of all his comrades and won for him- 
self the brevet of Major General on recommenda- 
tion of General Hancock. 

At the dinner there were among others, Generals 
John McCook, Horatio King and James R. 
O'Bierne. Hon. John S. Wise enjoyed himself so 
much at the previous dinner that he returned with 
his wife, daughter and her husband. P. Tecumseh 
Sherman was another who was as much at home 
with us as was his distinguished father. In all, 
ladies included, between sixty and seventy sat at 
the tables and we could but congratulate ourselves 
on the number we could muster. Before parting, 
the man we ever miss the most was remembered 
as follows: — "We, the members of the Third Army 
Corps Union, at this the forty-fifth reunion, ex- 
press our regret at the enforced absence of our 
beloved commander and companion, General 
Sickles. We send our affectionate greeting and 
trust he may be with us at the next and many 
future reunions." r ^^ . 



There may be many more meetings of the Union 
but it is evident that not many years hence it 
must be a Union only in name. Whatever else 
may shape the character of these gatherings, it is 
evident that the social part will come to be the 
w^hole and that they must take on a more quiet 
character and lose some of the festive element, 
as indeed they have already begun to do in the 
last four or five years. But let us not think that 
this will be wholly a loss so long as we are able 
to meet and renew our youth in recalling the days 
when we "followed the flag". 



96 



